Strawberry thieves: Farmers introduce minimum quantities against snacking!

Strawberry thieves: Farmers introduce minimum quantities against snacking!

Malente-Malkwitz, Deutschland - The popular self -picking of strawberries is also very popular in northern Germany. But the domestic strawberry courtyards are increasingly faced with a serious problem: Many visitors approved great amounts of the juicy fruits directly in the fields, while they only pay minor quantities. This has prompted farmers to introduce measures to contain the abuse. According to Welt criticizes Tilman Keller from the Obstbau test ring The economic challenges that are from this situation result.

In order to react to the increasing costs and loss of yield, several supermarkets in Schleswig-Holstein have now introduced rules that include minimum acceptance quantities or admission fees. This is a measure that is implementing more and more strawberry courts in the region to minimize economic damage. Similarly, the Food Practice that the farmers are allowed to do, but only in dimensions.

Minimum acceptance and admission fees

At the Ingenhof in Malente-Malkwitz, for example, an entry credit of five euros for adults and three euros for children from the age of five is set. This credit will then be offset against the amount actually picked. For a family with two children, there is a total amount of 12 euros. The price per kilogram of strawberries is 5.90 euros. Other farms such as the Erdbeerhof Glantz in Delingsdorf have also introduced similar minimum picking: adults have to take home at least one kilogram of strawberries. The Schwalehof in Bönebüttel goes a similar way by also demanding a minimum acceptance of one kilogram per person. Hessenschau emphasizes that these regulations from the Schleswig-Holstein Agriculture Chamber are supported as economically comprehensible become.

However, some farmers, like Constantin Kaack from the Strandbeerhof Kaack, are skeptical about the entry fees. He fears that honest customers will be deterred and sees an additional burden on the need to hire more personnel to carry out the controls. Melanie Engel from the Ingenhof reports of disappointing experiences in which families only brought 300 grams of strawberries to the cash register after they had saturated on site.

The reactions of visitors

The topic also causes discussions among visitors. While many show understanding of the minimum acceptance, some want a smaller amount to not have to drag excess strawberries home. A mother with her sons said that she was planning to then process the freshly picked strawberries, which shows that not all visitors only come to the fields to feast. Others, such as farmer Andreas Damm, who also introduced a minimum pick -up of one kilo, report on increasing abuse and an increasing number of visitors who arrive in groups and buy little while they let off steam at the same time.

The encounter between agriculture and leisure activities is in full swing: While the loving “berry pickers” continue to flock to the fields, the courtyards struggle to stay over water economically. The upcoming strawberry season will show how this new measure will be received by customers.