Europe's food supply will be affected by flooding in Spain

Torrential rains and devastating floods hit not only the Spanish city of Valencia, but also the scattered agricultural lands in the district, which were submerged in water, reports Euronews.

Valencia and the surrounding regions of Almeria and Andalusia produce the lion's share of Spain's fresh produce, including more than 60% of the country's citrus fruits.

AVA-ASAJA (Valencian Farmers' Association) said they expected "significant damage" to crops and operations in the area.

Damages

The full extent of the damage is still unclear, as many farmers have been unable to access their farmland. Flooding blocked rural roads and much of the agricultural infrastructure, including greenhouses, machinery and packing plants.

According to AVA-ASAJA, thousands of hectares of citrus fruits, persimmons, vegetables, vines and other crops will be lost. The livestock industry, which includes raising pigs and cows, has also been affected, with local farmers already expressing concern about potential feeding and drinking problems for the surviving animals.

Over the past year, Spain has been going through one of the worst droughts in its history. This left farmland so dry that it could not absorb excess water, leaving many citrus, persimmon and vegetable farms flooded. If these farms remain under water for too long, not only will the crops be affected – the trees can die, destroying the efforts of generations and entire livelihoods.

The agricultural disaster in Spain could affect the fruit and vegetable aisles of European and British supermarkets. The impact of this agricultural disaster will be felt far beyond Spain. The country is one of the largest exporters of fruit and vegetables in Europe and is the largest exporter of oranges in the world.

Spain supplies 25% of UK fruit imports and 8% of vegetable imports. This includes produce such as lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes and citrus fruits. It is possible that the famous bitter Seville oranges and the sweeter Valencia oranges are in short supply for the popular British marmalade season, which runs from January to February each year.

Extreme weather in Spain is a continuing threat to European food security

This is not the first time that European countries have been affected by extreme weather in Spain. Just last year, the UK faced weeks of shortages of popular fruit and vegetables, including peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, due to droughts in the agricultural regions of Catalonia and Andalusia.

What's more, the Andalusian city of Almeria boasts the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world, with thousands of hectares of fresh produce growing there. If they are left unprotected against increasing extreme weather conditions, Europe's food supply chain could be put at further risk.