STOCKHOLM—Scandinavia has been hit by a historic drought after a record-breaking heatwave that hasn’t let up.
The situation is grave for farmers, as crops are failing and feed is so scarce that some will be forced to slaughter their animals.
Affluent Scandinavia is in no danger of famine, as might have been the case a century ago, but the drought has been consistently in the headlines, a sobering reminder of what extreme weather can do to food production.
After a long, cold winter with lots of snow and a spring that never seemed to get started, May saw an unprecedented heatwave. Very dry weather jump-started summer in a way that had people scratching their heads.
Irrigation and open burning were prohibited across Scandinavia, with several Swedish store chains even removing disposable barbecue grills from the shelves during the height of the season.
But the unusual heat and lack of rain would bring far worse problems than dry lawns and canceled barbecues. The current drought has been deemed the worst in decades.
Long-term Problems
In Sweden, the Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF) estimates that some 40 percent of the grain harvest has been lost, and farmers have begun to harvest a whole month earlier than normal, Aftonbladet reported. Even if July and August bring rain, the damage has already been done.Slaughtering animals for lack of feed, a problem now facing farmers across Scandinavia, also brings problems in the longer term.
“It’s a very extreme situation,” he said.
Swedish Minister for Rural Affairs Sven-Erik Bucht said at a press conference on July 9 that Sweden is now engaged in a dialogue with the European Commission about getting crisis support from the EU for Swedish farmers.
Many people, including politicians, have been quick to link the drought to global climate change, but Markku Rummukainen, professor in climatology at Lund University, said it’s too early to tell.