French producers have been confronted with an upsurge of thefts on their farms for several weeks now, and the damage is significant.
Asparagus, strawberries, melons, tomatoes, aubergines, and courgettes, no production has been spared. Thefts have been reported mostly in the Vaucluse region, but the Bas-Rhin department has also been affected, with one farm having nearly 500 plants stolen. A loss of earnings of 7,000 euros!
The national gendarmerie takes these cases very seriously and has decided to multiply night patrols. "Since the end of April, we have noticed an increase in thefts of vegetable plants from various farms," said Captain Antoine on TF1.
For Gérard Roche, head of the market gardening section of the Fédération Départementale des Syndicats d'Exploitants Agricole 84, it is impossible to monitor all the crops, and these crop thefts are added to the thefts of fuel, equipment, and tractors.
This is a source of concern for producers who have already been hit hard by rising production costs and falling purchasing power, especially as agricultural insurance companies are increasingly demanding video surveillance systems.
Source: francetvinfo.fr