German Farmers try to renegotiate processing contracts

German potato lovers will soon have to put up with shorter french fries, the country's Farmers' Association (DBV) has warned.

The current heat wave is producing smaller potatoes, DBV spokeswoman Verena Telaar told the BBC.

"The potatoes are just not growing as they normally would,"Ms Telaar said.

"As a result, this year's harvest will not produce enough potatoes of the size needed for fries and crisps."

Farmers expect to produce up to 30% less of the larger potato varieties than in an average year.

However, it is still unclear if they will be able to minimise their financial losses by charging higher prices.

"The contracts between producers and the industry have been signed before this crisis,"Ms Telaar said. "Farmers are now trying to renegotiate those contracts".