European farmers are likely to fall behind in the competitive world grain market as EU consumer hostility to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) drives away research and prevents cultivation of h

Long-awaited showers finally hit French grain fields over the weekend and more rain is expected this week in most key European producers, but it will likely not be enough to reverse drought damage to winter crops.

"For the moment it is not a revolution," Strategie Grains head analyst Andree Defois said about the French crop.

When French grain farmer Pascal Seingier pulls a wheat stalk from the cracked soil in his field and points to the browned stem and dried-out roots, his face clouds over.

"It's all dry. We have had almost no rain in weeks and it's now clear I will not have the same harvest as usual," he says.