Livestock farms in France are sounding the alarm because of the heat

French farmers are likely to have to reduce their livestock to keep the cost of keeping animals down: due to the drought, there may simply not be enough grass for all the animals, according to France info. The article notes that as a result of a decrease in the volume of animal feed and the number of cows themselves, the country may face a shortage and a sharp rise in the price of MEAT and dairy products in the coming months.

The lack of water, provoked by an unprecedented drought in France, seriously affects all branches of agriculture in the country; dairy producers warn that prices for all products will continue to rise in the coming months, writes France info. In the article, the publication cites statistics, according to which, over the past year, prices for yogurt and semi-skimmed MILKincreased by 4.5%, for cheese - by more than 5%, for butter - by almost 10%. This growth is due to a rise in the price of energy, fertilizers and animal feed, which was caused by the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine, says journalist Vincent Touraine. He writes that as a result of the drought, the grass that dairy cows eat will become even smaller, which means that milk production will continue to decline - this “domino effect” will affect both prices and the quantity of the final product.

Even more worrying is that livestock farmers may have to reduce their livestock numbers in order to reduce the cost of keeping animals. This, in turn, does not bode well for the meat industry, and beef production in France is already in decline, notes France info. The article says that in five years the total number of cattle has decreased by 650 thousand heads, more than half of which were beef cows. And that's not all: according to the Institute of Animal Husbandry, by 2030, if droughts continue, France could lose another million animals, as breeders would prefer to put the cattle to slaughter in order not to buy more expensive feed. This is of great concern to large suppliers of meat products, as well as the largest buyer of French beef - McDonald's, the author reports.
 
Price growth is also expected in the vegetable growing sector, since due to lack of water there will be fewer fruits, and their quality will be lower; at the same time, the author of the material notes that the melon harvest, on the contrary, can increase by 30%, since this capricious culture does not like rain and prefers heat. But still, everyone is looking forward to the end of dry weather, writes France info.

* The materials of InoTV contain estimates exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of RT.