More than a thousand farms have reported drought damage

Prolonged heat and the absence of rainfall are leaving their mark on Swiss farming. Around 1,100 farms have reported drought damage to Hail Switzerland, the company that insures the sector against weather risks.

«La metà dei sinistri registrati nel 2026 da Grandine Svizzera sono legati alla canicola» ("Half the claims recorded in 2026 by Hail Switzerland are linked to the heat"), said Urs Schuler, who heads the crop insurance cooperative. That share is well above the historical average.

The reports come from across the country, with a heavier concentration in the western regions. That is where most policies including drought cover are held.

What has been lost

Many farmers filed precautionary reports of damage to winter crops such as wheat, barley and rapeseed. The harvests then turned out largely better than expected.

The problem moved further into the season. «Le colture estive, in particolare patate, mais, barbabietole da zucchero e girasoli, così come i pascoli, sono state colpite in modo nettamente maggiore» ("Summer crops, in particular potatoes, maize, sugar beet and sunflowers, as well as pastures, have been hit considerably harder"), Schuler explained. Much of that produce has yet to be harvested, so the overall extent of the damage cannot be quantified.

Hail Switzerland currently insures around 2,350 farms against drought risk. The cover applies to arable land totalling 46,000 hectares, or 17% of the country's cultivable area.

Since 2025 the Confederation has covered 30% of premiums for frost and drought insurance, a measure initially set to run until 2032. In the first year of application some 2,500 farms out of 46,000 applied for the discount, and the state spent a little over 2 million francs. 57% of the reductions specifically concerned drought risk.

The Federal Office for Agriculture says it is satisfied with the take-up, which matched forecasts, and expects a 10% increase in policyholders in 2026. That figure should be read with care, since contracts for the current year were signed before the present dry spell.

Public support for premiums remains a partial answer. It spreads the risk rather than preventing the damage, and it leaves open the question of how to adapt crops to summers that now recur at this frequency.