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CSV MP Jeff Boonen says poor harvests, rising costs, and low producer prices are putting increasing strain on Luxembourg farms

Luxembourg's farmers are facing mounting financial pressure after an exceptionally hot and dry summer hit grass and maize yields across the country. Jeff Boonen, MP of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) and president of parliament's Agriculture Committee, told RTL on Wednesday that the latest weather-related difficulties came on top of several successive crises, including higher energy and fertiliser costs.

Farmers were now feeling the cumulative impact, he said. At the same time, he added, the situation differed considerably from one farm to another, particularly depending on whether they had been able to build up reserves during better years.

Last year, for example, grass grew well and maize yields were above average, according to Boonen. He noted that Agriculture Minister Martine Hansen said in response to a parliamentary question that this year's maize crop was down by around 20% to 25%, compared with yields around 10% to 15% above normal last year.

Farms that had been able to carry feed over from last year were therefore under less immediate pressure. Others had been much harder hit, with insurers reporting "100% losses" in maize in some areas, he said.

Also today:

• Luxdefence president André Wilmes says banking difficulties and a shortage of suitable premises are holding back the country's growing defence industry.
• CFL-owned land beside Luxembourg City's main railway station could be redeveloped to strengthen multimodal transport links
• Meteolux says this year's summer surpassed the previous 2003 record and brought more than four times the usual number of hot days.
• The EU has summoned Russia's top diplomat as it eyed sanctions after a drone incident in Germany that the bloc's foreign policy chief said bore the marks of "state-sponsored terrorism".
• Iran launched a wave of attacks on US sites across the Middle East as violence surged after an extensive American bombardment led to the deaths of four people at a wedding.
• A passenger bus overturned on a desert highway in Egypt's eastern Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, killing 22 people and injuring 28 others.

On air

It was all about chickens on the Steps show, with much hilarity as Steps and John were brought to tears!

Figure of the day

An arrest has been made in Colombia in connection with the nearly 900 kilos of cocaine found in Bilsdorf in February last year.

• An arrest has been made in Colombia in connection with the nearly 900 kilos of cocaine found in Bilsdorf in February last year. The suspect is 46-year-old Hermes Julián, known as "Hermes", who is believed to have been involved in the operation. This was reported by Luxemburger Wort on Tuesday, citing Colombian media.
• Hermes was reportedly arrested around 50 kilometres from Medellín by Colombian police together with Europol and Ameripol agents. In Luxembourg, police found the cocaine inside the drums of a machine that had been imported from Colombia and delivered to a farm in Bilsdorf.
  

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