Farmers expect significantly lower grain harvest – drought and heat put fields under pressure

At the same time, farmers complain of massive cost increases combined with low producer prices. Rukwied had already said in June: "Die Preissituation im Ackerbau ist für alle Getreidearten miserabel, bis auf Raps." Measures such as agricultural diesel for 2026 and 2027 are "gerade in dieser Situation unverzichtbar, federn aber nur einen Teil der Kosten ab".

Last summer, farmers had been able to bring in larger quantities of grain again – a cut that in many places will not be repeated this year. Since the 2025 harvest, which was above average worldwide, prices for arable crops have been under pressure, while production costs remain high, especially for fertilizer, energy and fuel.

Situation in Austria: 15 percent less grain than the previous year

The situation in Austria paints an even more pronounced picture. The Austrian Chamber of Agriculture (LKÖ) expects 2.7 million tonnes of grain excluding maize for the 2025/26 marketing year – a decrease of 15 percent compared to the previous year. "Ertragseinbußen gegenüber 2025 werden bei allen Getreidearten, aber auch bei Raps, Körnererbsen und Ackerbohnen erwartet", it was said at a press conference in Deutschkreutz.

There, LKÖ President Josef Moosbrugger and the President of the LK Burgenland as well as COPA Vice President Nikolaus Berlakovich appeared together before the press. Moosbrugger said the EU Commission had announced initial measures, "angesichts der angespannten wirtschaftlichen Lage reichen diese Schritte jedoch nicht aus". The eastern parts of the country are hit particularly hard: "Klar ist gleichzeitig auch, dass die Einbußen im Osten erheblich stärker ausfallen als im Westen."

For winter wheat, an average of up to 20 percent less yield per hectare is currently expected, while estimates for Burgenland are even lower. Cultivation areas have also shifted: declines are recorded for potatoes (–18.5 percent; starch potatoes –50.5 percent), field peas (–21.2 percent), field beans (–12.2 percent), spring barley (–12.1 percent), oats (–9.3 percent) and sugar beets (–8.3 percent).

Political demands: CAP reform and compensation for fertilizer costs

Gains were recorded for rye (+10.1 percent), oil pumpkin (+9.5 percent), winter barley (+3.5 percent) and especially sunflower (+19.7 percent). Rapeseed rose by 5.7 percent from a very low level. The five most important crops in Austria remain maize (grain and silage maize), wheat, barley, soybeans and triticale. Overall, according to current estimates, the grain cultivation area has fallen a further 0.7 percent compared to the historic low in 2025, to below 0.5 million hectares for the first time.

Meanwhile, Berlakovich called for more political support: "Wir brauchen eine starke, zukunftsweisende und ausreichend finanziell ausgestattete Gemeinsame EU-Agrarpolitik (GAP) samt Inflationsanpassung." In addition, he criticized the fact "dass europäische Bäuerinnen und Bauern im internationalen Vergleich mit den höchsten Düngemittelpreisen konfrontiert sind und noch zusätzlich durch Schutzmaßnahmen für die Industrie, wie den CO₂-Grenzausgleichsmechanismus (CBAM), belastet werden".

Weather pattern as the cause of the losses

The winter of 2025 was changeable, followed by partly very dry winter months. After some rain in February, a longer dry phase followed in March and April. These weather conditions are considered a key cause of the now forecast yield losses across large parts of Central Europe.