In the last week, it has rained in France, but the drops brought only a small relief to the record drought. Almost the entire country is in a state of emergency or crisis due to the lack of water.
The Loire river valley in the Touraine region, known for its castles, is a concrete example of the drought that plagues France: the surface of the Loire is so low that in places the river gurgles between the bridge girders on dry land.
– I have never seen the river so dry, says someone paddling down the Loire with his friends Raphael Dardenne.
Sometimes they even have to carry a kayak.
Low and warm river water hinders the operation of nuclear power plants and kills fish.
93 of the 97 provinces of continental France are in a state of alert. Of these, 77 are officially in crisis, where irrigation of fields and farms is prohibited and private individuals can only use the water for drinking and washing.
Drought threatens the wine harvest
Vouvray is a wine region between Tours and Amboise, especially known for its sparkling wine. The clayey soil usually holds water well and keeps the vines happy, but now the water is starting to run low there as well.
Wine grower Didier Aubert says that the drought already started in the spring.
– March had very little rain, and after the rains in June it has been dry again, practically rainless.
Aubert closely monitors the weather on his farm. According to his measurements, only about 250 milliliters of rain has fallen throughout the year, when normally it would have been about 650 milliliters.
The drought has been accentuated by the long-term heat. When I visited the place last week, there was also a hot wind blowing from the east, which resembled the almost scorching wind of the desert.
According to Aubert, the wine is already stressed.
– The grapes develop very slowly or not at all. If the drought continues, the grapes will not ripen.
Aubert says that grapes are obtained, but as the drought continues, the harvest remains small and the result is sour, tannic wine.
– The growing season started well. If we get rain now and then sun, development can continue normally. Then this could still be a really good year.
Milk production has decreased and the cows have run out of food
While the plants along the Loire are still green, about 20 kilometers from the river near the village of Dame-Marie-les-Bois, the drought is clearly visible. Water use has been strictly limited and farmers are in trouble.
– There hasn’t been enough grass for our cows since May, complains the owner of a dairy farm with more than a hundred cows Benoît Simon. He now has to buy corn from his neighbors. The corn has been watered enough that it has been able to grow.
According to statistics, grass growth has decreased by more than 20 percent throughout France, but locally the figure is higher.
Cows also suffer from the heat, drinking more water but producing less milk. Milk production has decreased by about 15 percent and cheese farms have to import more milk from abroad than usual – although production has fallen elsewhere and the price of milk has risen by twenty percent.
– If summers like this continue, then we may have to reduce production, but keep the field area of grass the same, regrets Simon.
He states that agriculture must better adapt to future conditions. Due to climate change, the summers in the previously quite mild Loire Valley are becoming longer, drier and hotter.
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