Wet fields causing problems for farmers

Wednesday, 21 July 2021 04:34

Pixabay

The recent heavy rain is proving to be a major problem for farmers with many crops likely to rot due to soggy fields.

The extent of the damage is still being assessed according to the Swiss Romande Agriculture Association.

Vegetables have flooded and rotted and those grown in greenhouses are also suffering due to the lack of light. Potatoes are rotting in the ground.

Cereal crops are also in trouble as the ground is too wet to get a combine harvester out – it would simply sink in the mud.

Wine growers are worried due to an outbreak of mildew and the rain also meant it was difficult to treat.

The wet conditions have also affected bees. Honey production is way down and some bee keepers have been forced to feed their colonies.

The result is likely to be more imported food and higher prices.

More from Bitesize News

Govt looks to cut forest protection

The Federal Council is scrapping the CHF 25 million a year that Parliament voted to help forests adapt to climate change, despite two clear parliamentary decisions.
Federal Councillors heckled by protestors

Federal Councilors were out across the country marking National Day on Saturday - but not without controversy.
Further pressure on Swiss football head

Pressure is mounting on Zurich-based FIFA and its Italo-Swiss president Gianni Infantino after North America's football body demanded a complete overhaul of his presidency.
Politicians carry stereotypes

Elected politicians in Switzerland carry more gender stereotypes than the voters they represent, a new University of Geneva and University of Lausanne study finds.
Illegal rave hits pastures

A thousand young people left a mountain pasture in the Vaud Jura unsuitable for grazing after an illegal rave.
More Swiss firefighters head to France

A second team of 33 firefighters from French speaking Switzerland will travel to south-western France this weekend to relieve colleagues battling the wildfires.

Download our app