Press Release: Commission publishes forecast of cereal production: loss due to drought impact on Western EU Regions

Detailed scientific analysis by the European Commission, through its advanced crop yield forecasting system, showed that the 2005 production was to be at least 28 million tonnes below the previous years' record numbers (about 10% less), but that total EU cereal harvest was to remain in line with the average of the previous five years. The main reason for this drop was the impact of drought on crop yields. Production areas most affected were in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Central Greece.

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