World

Germany: June heat costs the economy €6.32 billion

Herz — World Desk · 30 July 2026 at 21:02 · 30s summary · 3 min read

The essentials

Heat during the final two weeks of June cost the German economy an estimated €6.32 billion. Production, retail and the food sector were among the activities particularly affected. An analysis conducted for Handelsblatt puts the cost of each day above 35°C at nearly €1 billion. Winter wheat yields are down by as much as 15% in some regions, while rapeseed losses could reach 18%. In Düsseldorf-Angermund, a refrigeration failure at a Lidl store also forced staff to close chilled aisles and discard goods.

Two weeks of heat caused an estimated €6.32 billion in economic losses
Each day above 35°C costs the German economy nearly €1 billion
Winter wheat yield losses have reached as much as 15%
Rapeseed yield losses could reach 18%
A refrigeration failure affected a Lidl store in Düsseldorf-Angermund

What is known

Heat during the final two weeks of June cost the German economy €6.32 billion, Handelsblatt reports. Production, retail and the food sector were particularly affected.

According to an analysis by Prognos for Handelsblatt, each day above 35°C costs the German economy nearly €1 billion.

Experts consider three or four such heat episodes per year possible. The resulting damage could exceed €20 billion annually.

Refrigeration failure at a Lidl store

At the end of June, refrigeration systems failed at a Lidl store in Düsseldorf-Angermund as temperatures reached about 38°C.

The store closed its chilled aisles and could no longer sell fresh meat, milk, cheese or yoghurt.

Staff had to discard goods. Lidl confirmed the technical incident and said isolated failures could not be ruled out.

Industrial refrigeration consumes more energy

At frozen-food producer Frosta, high temperatures substantially increase storage and transport costs.

During the June heat, a new wind turbine almost entirely covered the increase in energy demand at the company’s headquarters in Bremerhaven.

A 7.5-hectare solar farm in Lommatzsch, Saxony, will begin operating in the autumn and cover all electricity needs of the vegetable plant.

Harvests affected by the heat

The vast majority of Frosta’s pea fields in Saxony cannot be irrigated. This year’s harvest is substantially below normal.

Frosta chief executive Felix Ahlers says temperatures above 30°C place plants under extreme stress. Irrigation also carries high costs.

The June heat affected crops during grain maturation. Some regions where the winter wheat harvest is well advanced are reporting yield losses of up to 15%.

The German Farmers’ Association estimates that rapeseed yield losses could reach 18%.

Maximum reported or estimated yield losses in Germany

Winter wheat15

Rapeseed18