German cut rose production hit by hail damage

Hail hit German horticulture companies hard at the end of August. Gartenbau-Versicherung got sixty reports. Two-thirds of the reports concerned greenhouse horticulture companies.

The hail hit the area around Hamburg in Northern Germany at the end of August. The hailstones that fell on Sunday, August 28, were the size of walnuts. Most of the damage was in the region of Vierlande, near Bergdorf, southeast of Hamburg.

Most companies had relatively little damage: between 20 and 60 broken panes. At around 15 companies, the damage was greater: up to 800 damaged panes. Crops were damaged at these companies as well. A lot of cut roses are grown in the region, and the resulting damage can be significant for these crops - especially given the fact that glazing the greenhouse will take more than two or three weeks.

The hail also left a mark in open field cultivation, in particular large-leaf cut flowers like sunflowers, and ornamental foliage like Bergenia.

Gartenbau-Versicherung representatives were quickly at the scene to take stock of the damage, and to provide help where necessary. Because the long-term damage is not yet clear, it's not possible to provide a total estimate of the damage. Preliminary estimates assume damage of up to one million euros.

Source: Gartenbau-Versicherung