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Hop harvest during corona crisis: farmers worry about thousands of harvest workers - "critical situation"

2020-08-14T08:34:11.782Z


The hop harvest in Bavaria begins at the end of August. Despite the Corona crisis, seasonal workers from Eastern Europe come to many companies. Farmers are concerned.


The hop harvest in Bavaria begins at the end of August. Despite the Corona crisis, seasonal workers from Eastern Europe come to many companies. Farmers are concerned.

  • The hop harvest in Bavaria begins at the end of August .
  • Despite the Corona crisis in Free State, seasonal workers from Eastern Europe come to many companies .
  • The farmers are worried that the harvest can proceed smoothly.
  • Here you will find the basic facts about the corona virus and the corona news from Germany. We also offer you the current case numbers in Bavaria on a map. The following recommendations for corona protective measures are currently available.

Hallertau - Matthias Geltermeier is already a little tense at the moment. The hop harvest begins on his farm in Niederthann (Pfaffenhofen district) on August 28th, "and the time until then is still exciting," he says. "The conditions change all the time."

Because he depends on seasonal helpers from Poland for the harvest . Three workers lend a hand, they have been coming for many years. This year everything is a little different because of the Corona crisis. "Every worker needs a negative corona test," explains Geltermeier. This would only be mandatory for companies with more than ten employees. “But it's also for our own safety.” There is a hygiene concept on the farm , each of the three harvest helpers has their own room and they keep their distance at work. “That's not a problem at all,” says the hop grower. When working in the field, on the tractor or on the machine, the harvest workers are several meters apart.

Bavaria: Between 2000 and 2500 harvest workers will come to the Hallertau hop-growing area in the next few weeks

Between 2000 and 2500 harvest workers will come to the Hallertau hop-growing region in Bavaria over the next few weeks , estimates Adolf Schapfl , Chairman of the Association of German Hop Growers . Most of the around 880 hop farms in Hallertau employ between two and five seasonal workers from Eastern Europe during the harvest. "Very few have over ten," says Schapfl. Nine Eastern European harvest workers come to his farm in Wolnzach (Pfaffenhofen district). He sees the risk of corona outbreaks at the hop yards as low: "The workers can sleep in single rooms and get full board so they don't have to leave the yard," he says. In addition, the farms are smaller than courtyards with corona mass outbreaks.

"The hop harvest is not a party mile," emphasizes Max Weichenrieder from Stadelhof (Pfaffenhofen district), who is not only a hop farmer, but was also President of the Upper Bavarian Farmers' Association until March 2012. If the Eastern European workers cannot come, then it will be a “critical situation” for the hop growers , he says. Because the machines for the harvest are expensive and demanding to operate. “You need someone who can handle the technology and who has experience,” he says. There is a lack of German volunteers who could theoretically step in as harvest workers. What he would want most of all now is clarity. "We don't yet know exactly which regulations apply and how the tests take place."

Hop farmers hope that the corona situation will not worsen by the time the harvest begins

In Bavaria, farms with more than ten employees are only allowed to employ people who can show a negative corona test at the beginning of their work . "We have already written to the larger companies," reports Regina Brummer from the Pfaffenhofen district office. “The health department coordinates the tests,” she says. These could also be carried out by general practitioners.

Meanwhile, the hop farmers hope that the corona situation will not worsen in around three weeks before the start of the harvest . And the right weather for a good harvest. "So far it looks pretty good," says Max Weichenrieder. “Optimal would be 50 to 100 millimeters of precipitation in the next few weeks, which falls slowly.” - Claudia Schuri

You can always read more news from Bavaria at Merkur.de * (* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-08-14

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