France, July 11 -- The losses are a result of three heatwaves that have already hit France this year.

Temperatures have climbed above 40C in parts of France and elsewhere in Europe, affecting both crops and livestock.

Harvests have started much earlier than usual in several regions, reflecting a longer-term trend linked to global warming.

"The weather station on the farm is showing 38.8C," says David Vincent, who grows almost 200 hectares of cereals in the southern department of Aude.

"The heatwaves since May have accelerated the end of the growing cycle for all our crops. So we started harvesting 15 days earlier than we used to. Clearly, our yields are down today," he told RFI.

Winter rainfall helped replenish soil moisture, allowin...