France faces historic grassland growth deficit despite recent rains

The French Ministry of Agriculture reports a timid recovery in grass growth as of late October, noting that levels remain at their lowest in at least 40 years. While falling temperatures and recent rainfall have triggered a slight restart in growth, the October increase represents only 2 percent of the normal annual growth, compared to an average of 8 percent for the 1989–2018 period.

The cumulative growth of permanent grasslands is currently 43 percent below the reference period average. Deficits exceeding 30 percent are present in 85 percent of forage regions, covering 88 percent of permanent grassland areas. Significant deficits of over 50 percent are observed along an axis from Limousin to Alsace.

Although October rains provided some relief, Météo-France indicates that soil moisture remains below normal across much of the country. Recent precipitation has been highly unequal by region, and experts warn that surface moisture does not necessarily indicate that water has reached the root zones.