Grain harvest recovering in Germany as farming lobby warns of climate change dangers
Clean Energy Wire / FAZ
Germany’s grain harvest has stabilised in 2025 despite difficult weather conditions, but the country’s agriculture industry lobby group German Farmers’ Association (DBV) still warns that climate change poses severe and lasting risks to the sector. With more than 43 million tonnes, the harvest surpassed that of the past two years, partly because farmers extended the farmed land area, DBV said. However, a drought in the first half of the year and heavy rains during the harvest period in July had led to substantial regional variations in the harvested volume and to losses in quality across the board, DBV head Joachim Rukwied said.
“Even if the harvest finally is back in the average range, the palpable consequences of climate change are becoming obvious,” Rukwied said. Besides the extreme swings in precipitation, pest infestation and plant infections represented another main issue for this year's harvest, he said. As a result of climate change and global trade, species that used to be geographically confined to more southern climates are gaining ground in Germany, making the use of pesticides more important for maintaining food supply security, Rukwied said according to newspaper FAZ.
The lobby group leader called for a comprehensive new strategy on pesticide use in agriculture, as well as for a targeted package for the sector that improves its competitiveness amid rising production prices and low prices on grain markets.
DBV had been one of the leading institutions during the farmers’ protests in early 2023, which were sparked by reduced rebates for fossil fuel use in agriculture, that later spread to many other European countries. Farmers in Germany in recent years have started adapting to climatic changes by planting more drought-resilient crops and expanding irrigation. The agriculture industry is among the sectors most affected by climate change, but it also offers many levers for improving sustainability, biodiversity and climate adaptation. Reducing emissions and the use of chemicals, as well as modernised farming methods, can help protecting biodiversity on farmland and providing space for natural carbon sinks.
