The corona crisis is causing much uncertainty among many Scandinavian fruit and vegetable farmers. Above all, there is doubt as to whether they will soon have enough (often Eastern European) seasonal workers at their disposal. In Denmark, vegetable growers fear an expensive harvest. That is due to the extra hygiene measures. In Norway, strawberry farmers are highly doubtful of even farming this season.
Denmark
Vegetable grower, Jacob Brejnholt Jacobsen, is from the family business, Torup Bakkegaard og Orelund. They farm on the Danish island of Funen. He says, "It is one thing to bring seasonal laborers here. But, if they can come, it will mean a lot of hassle. We are worried and know, for sure, that we are, in any case, going to have an expensive harvest."
Torup Bakkegaard og Orelund is one of the largest vegetable companies on the island. Jacobsen uses hundreds of migrant workers every year. These people come mainly from Slovakia and Romania. These are specialized laborers, who work effectively. Fortunately for Jacobsen, there is still time. Harvesting begins at around 1 May. Then the first asparagus need to be cut. "I only really need people then. But, that is still a while away, and much could happen in-between. For now, I am not yet losing sleep over this."
Jacobsen needs the most seasonal workers in July when it is high season. There is, therefore, still enough time for the Danish government and the European Union. They must come up with solutions. Nevertheless, Jacobsen believes that if all the migrant laborers are allowed to come to Denmark, their living conditions would undoubtedly be accompanied by many sanitary regulations. "Maybe they will have to remain in quarantine for 14 days first."
"We will also have to adjust the facilities. We will have to ensure that not too many people are living together. That will also be the case in the fields - labor will have to become structured so that the workers do not work in groups. We will also have to take hand washing and transportation within Denmark into account. There will be a lot to organize. It can all be done, but then the season becomes expensive."
Plan B for Jacobsen is to get Danish workers from the sectors that have been hardest hit. "From day one, I have had the horticultural sector in mind. There, a lot of people have lost their jobs. But Plan B is expensive too. We must train these people, and the work will take longer."
Norway
In Norway, many fruit farmers are considering skipping the year entirely. This puts a crop of almost 15,000 tons of fruit in danger. The closed borders and the non-arrival of seasonal workers is also the biggest issue for Norwegian fruit cultivation.
Olav Etnestad, chairman of the Norwegian Fruit Growers Association, is a strawberry grower himself. "There is so much uncertainty. We have a lot of questions with no answers. No-one can do anything about it, but people are feeling anxious. Many farmers are wondering what the best thing is to do. Will everything be alright?"
"It already costs about 10,000 kroner (€900) to prepare a field. That is before you have even harvested one krone worth of produce. Preparing new fields can easily cost roughly 35,000 kroner (€3,000). This could be disastrous for growers - you have to invest a lot before you can harvest anything at all. And nobody knows what will happen in the summer."
The average Norwegian farmer has five hectares of land. They harvest fields using about 50 to 70 experienced pickers. The Norwegian government will clarify the situation for growers in the country before Easter. The growers will then have answers about eventual crisis packages. They will find out about the possibility of hiring seasonal laborers, as well as compensation for using Norwegian workers. And, ultimately, what the options are, if farmers decide to use local laborers for the entire season.
Sources: landbrugsavisen.dk and nationen.no