A windstorm caused major damage to greenhouse horticulture in Made, the Netherlands, on Tuesday evening. Four growers in the northeastern part of the horticultural area suffered damage, with thousands of greenhouse panes broken. Insurer Hortisecur estimates that the total damage to greenhouses and crops will run into millions of euros.
Hortisecur was on site Wednesday morning to assess the damage and start emergency measures. The affected businesses include both vegetable and ornamental growers.
The extent of the damage is becoming clearer as growers and insurers inspect the greenhouses. For some growers, however, restoring the structures will take time. "It takes about three weeks before new glass is available," says Peter Post of Hortisecur. "The glass comes from Europe and is more expensive than glass from Asia, but waiting for that would take much longer."
The availability of the correct glass size is another challenge. "We have tried to see whether there is stock somewhere in the sector, but it is an unusual size that has only been used a few times in the Netherlands. That is something we are running into now."
The broken glass has also ended up outside the affected businesses...