Belgian lettuce grower Paul Adriaenssens doesn’t know about iceberg lettuce, but he certainly doesn’t want to know about icicles. Last weekend his greenhouse was pierced by icicles that slid off high voltage transmission towers. Now the question is who will be paying for the damage.
"Due to food safety regulations I need to destroy 10,000 large heads of lettuce. There was glass everywhere and that is a risk you don’t want to take. In addition, the windows are in smithereens and there is also heating loss. The glass will also have to be taken out of the young plants and we will have to dig up part of the floor because the glass has been so fragmented here. I am guessing a few centimeters. Next, we’ll have to look at the fertilizers, because those bags were pierced, and the pipes in the greenhouse were also broken. We’ve never experienced something like this," according to Paul Adriaenssens. He grows lettuce growing in Kontich, Belgium. On Sunday he witnessed how his 5,000 m2 greenhouse was greatly damaged by icicles.
High voltage lines
The icicles slid off the high voltage lines hanging above the company. They formed last Saturday due to rain and frost and just slid off when it began to thaw on Sunday. Besides Paul’s greenhouse several other horticultural companies in Kontich and nearby Reet were also damaged.
"Extremely dangerous," says Paul, who was not at home when it happened. "The greenhouse has been here since 1954. We inherited it from my parents in 1977 and renovated. I think the electricity lines have been hanging there since 1980," Paul estimates. "In the early 80s we already litigated because of the noise and computer failures and a number of glass panes were also damaged by icicles in 1987. But then it was about 69 windows." Now there are a lot more. How many exactly he hasn’t been able to count yet, it’s too dangerous. Fortunately Hagelunie has declared its willingness to cover the glass damage to recover from the responsible party later.
Who is going to pay?
Now the question is who will ultimately pay for the total damage. ELIA, Paul thinks - operator of the Belgian high-voltage grid. But to date that’s not something they’re considering. "Others in this area have already been told that they shouldn’t count on compensation. They say it’s a natural phenomenon." And that's not the first time, he says. "We often experience damage. Because of icicles and snow falling from the bulbs, but also due to ducks and geese flying into the lines and then coming down. Those damages are smaller, one or two windows. Sometimes the glass doesn’t break, only crack. Before, everything was compensated, but that has been more difficult in recent years. We have to litigate with legal assistance, or we just won’t be heard." The latter is currently not the case. "Someone has been appointed to assess the damage, but I don’t know whether they are also going to pay. We’ll wait and see."