Fewer birds through asparagus plastic?

Asparagus with or without ? In Brandenburg a conflict has started over growing asparagus under plastic, because opponents argue that it causes breeding birds to disappear.

Werner Christ, a Berlin chimney sweep for more than 50 years, is a zealous advocate of this argument. He now lives in Havelland am Beetzsee, and he co-founded the citizens' initiative "landscapes without plastic." In his neighbourhood the fields are covered in the black plastic from November to June. "This area has been part of the European bird sanctuaries since 2004," he says. "And in recent years, 21 bird species have disappeared." These include the honey buzzard, the northern goshawk, sparrow hawk, crane and the common redstart. The state government of Brandenburg acknowledges the negative effects on animals, but they also claim that growing asparagus under plastic is the best way of farming. Thus far, no restrictions are planned.

"95 to 98 percent of the asparagus is grown under plastic in Brandenburg," says Manfred Schmidt of Beelitzer Asparagus Cooperation. For the farmers the yield is the most important. "We can harvest earlier, the soil stays moist for longer, and the wind has less influence," says Manfred Schmidt. "Post harvest, the fields stay green for much longer too. Between the rows of asparagus the rabbits frolic." He dismisses the arguments of the opponents as nonsense.

Source: www.berliner-kurier.de