Swiss Farmers Fear Worst Drought in Decades, Warn of Bigger Losses Than 2003

Swiss farmers say this year’s drought is worse than anything they have seen in recent memory—and they fear the damage to crops will exceed the catastrophic losses of 2003. “I have personally never experienced a drought like this before,” said the head of the Swiss Farmers’ Union, speaking on condition of direct quotation. The warning comes as dry conditions persist across much of the country, with little rain forecast in the coming weeks. In 2003, a historic heatwave and drought caused hundreds of millions of francs in agricultural losses, forcing many farms to sell livestock early and import feed. Now, farmers are reporting cracked soil, stunted crops, and critically low water levels in rivers and reservoirs. The union leader said the current situation appears more severe at this point in the season than in 2003, raising fears that harvests of grain, potatoes, and fodder will fall sharply. Local authorities have begun assessing water restrictions, and some regions have already banned irrigation from natural sources. The union is urging the government to prepare emergency aid packages for affected farms. Meteorologists note that while summer is not over, the lack of sustained rainfall combined with high temperatures has created extreme soil dryness. If conditions do not improve soon, the union warns, the financial blow to Swiss agriculture could be historic.