Drought threatens Spanish milk output with declines of up to 30%
Persistent heat and limited rainfall during the first weeks of August have reduced pasture and forage availability across Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and the Cantabrian part of Navarre. The region supplies about 60% of Spain’s milk, according to the report, making the disruption relevant to the wider dairy chain.
Isabel Villalba, COAG’s head of cattle affairs, said cows exposed to thermal stress at levels recorded this summer can produce up to 30% less milk. The fall in output is occurring as farms face higher costs for feeding and maintaining their herds. Dry conditions have turned many northern meadows into areas with limited green cover, affecting systems that rely on grazing.
COAG reported that forage-maize harvests in both Galicia and Asturias have fallen by more than 60%. Replacing the lost crops can cost up to €2,500 per hectare, based on estimates cited by the farming organisation. Winter cereals—including wheat, barley, oats and rye—are also reported to be down by between 30% and 40% from the previous year.
COAG said the price of compound feed had risen by as much as 32% in two months. Farms are also paying more for inputs such as fuel and fertiliser. Separately, estimates from ASAJA León put the reduction in the cereal harvest at six million tonnes, with associated losses of about €1.32bn.
Water supplies have become a further issue in some dairy areas. In the Pas river basin in Cantabria and in parts of Biscay, including Carranza, lower river flows and reduced spring water have led farms to use tanker trucks to secure daily supplies for livestock. COAG said some producers are reviewing herd sizes and that certain farms are considering, or have already been forced, to cull less productive cows.
The organisation said the combination of reduced feed, higher expenses and water-supply problems was eroding farm margins and placing extensive livestock systems in northern Spain at particular risk. The report also cited an analysis by Triodos Bank estimating that European Union agricultural output could fall by between 3% and 7% in 2026 because of heat-stress-related losses. The bank warned that the effects could be passed on to food prices in the coming months.
