Quick Take — France: drought causes a ‘plunge’ in crop production: ‘even with irrigation, the young plants did not survive’

Cauliflower, peas and salad crops are suffering from a lack of water and successive heatwaves. The sector is describing the situation as a ‘disaster’, particularly across the whole of western France, whilst the ability to sow crops for subsequent seasons is also being hampered.

Vegetables are not the only crops affected: the maize harvest is also expected to fall sharply (by 30 per cent), whilst poultry farms were hit hard by high mortality rates during the heatwave at the end of June…  milk production, one of the sectors hardest hit by climate change this year, according to the Minister for Agriculture…

Below: a scorched maize cob in Albiate

The Caprotti Manufactory: fabrics were stories, the forerunners of marketing

For over a century, the Caprotti factory in Albiate was a place of work, identity and memory. Its logo – the goat – and the names of its fabrics evoked strength and prestige: Leone, Vittoria, Cleopatra. Others linked the product to Italy’s geographical identity, such as Calabria and Tevere. Still others, such as Jolanda and Marina, followed the fashion of the time, or current events, such as Tosca, linked to Puccini’s opera.

Is the Caprotti factory due to be demolished?

Dear Dr Caprotti, I was saddened to hear of the forthcoming demolition of the factory in Ponte, which your father set out to build and to which he devoted a significant part of his life. It is undoubtedly a place that, for many people, has meant much more than simply a ‘place of work’: it has been a professional and social hub, a place to meet and forge new bonds. It has certainly been a source of hope for a better future, both for oneself and for one’s family…