France’s Sugar Beet Crop Devastated by Disease – Sugar Industry’s Viability Threatened, 12th August 2020

France is the largest producer of sugar beets in Europe growing just over 30 percent of EU27+UK ‘s production in MY 2019/2020. Ban on the use of neonics since 2018 has resulted in large scale crop losses this growing season because of widespread yellows virus, a disease spread by aphids that infested much of the crop this year. Because of the infestation in addition to the drought, French experts estimate that the yield will be down by 30 to 50 percent.