Drought and hail inflict nearly CHF60 million in damage on Swiss crops

CHF59.2 million in crop damage has put Switzerland’s agricultural insurers on course for one of their costliest years in recent memory. Hagel Schweiz said on September 24 that drought and hail caused losses nearly three times greater than those recorded last summer.

The damage followed an exceptionally difficult growing season. From April through August, Switzerland experienced its hottest and driest conditions since national records began in 1901. Farmers faced depleted water supplies during the period when many summer crops were establishing, growing or filling out their yields. Hailstorms added a second threat, damaging plants and fields in concentrated bursts.

Hagel Schweiz expects approximately 5,800 claims for the current year. The insurer said the high level of compensation will probably produce a significantly negative operating result.

The figures cover insured agricultural losses, rather than the full economic cost of the weather. They point to pressure on farm incomes, insurers and food production at the same time. Potatoes, maize, sugar beet and sunflowers were among the crops most affected, all important components of Swiss farming across both arable and livestock-linked supply chains.

Hail generated 48% of reported claims, just ahead of drought at 45%, according to Hagel Schweiz. The figures show how two different forms of severe weather combined to damage the 2026 harvest.

Hail can destroy leaves, stems and fruit within minutes, leaving farmers with little opportunity to protect exposed fields. Drought works more gradually. It limits water availability, weakens plants and can reduce both yields and crop quality over weeks or months. This season, farmers had to contend with both risks across the same growing period.

The insurer’s claim breakdown does not provide a regional ranking or a crop-by-crop financial total. It does, however, identify the two dominant causes behind the expected 5,800 claims. The close split also reflects the varied geography of Swiss farming, where exposed fields, local storm tracks and differences in soil and water access can produce sharply different outcomes from one farm to the next.

Hagel Schweiz’s estimates remain subject to claims assessment and settlement. Even so, the scale is already clear. The total is almost three times last summer’s figure, while the insurer anticipates substantially higher compensation payments and a significantly negative operating result.

April to August was Switzerland’s hottest and driest period since 1901, according to Hagel Schweiz. The weather record provides the backdrop to the crop losses, but water monitoring shows how deeply the dry spell reached beyond individual fields.

Between April 1 and July 31, around one-fifth of Switzerland’s monitoring stations recorded their lowest water levels for that period since measurements began. Low water levels can restrict irrigation options and increase competition for supplies between farms, households, industry and natural ecosystems. The impact varies by location, crop and access to infrastructure, so the national figure does not describe every farm’s experience.

For growers, timing matters as much as the season’s overall rainfall. Potatoes, maize, sugar beet and sunflowers need reliable moisture during key phases of development. A prolonged spring and summer deficit can reduce plant growth and yields, while intense storms may arrive too late to reverse damage. Hail can then compound the losses in the same fields or nearby production areas.

Hagel Schweiz linked this year’s drought directly to climate change. The insurer’s assessment adds an agricultural dimension to the wider effects of the record heat, which also affected communities, businesses and nature across Switzerland.