producers face theft of fruit and vegetable plants

Monday, May 23, thefts are increasing in farms. In Alsace, tomato plants were dug up in the middle of the night, in an organized way. “I think guys, they still spent four hours on it“, speculates Pierre Maurer, head of operations. For him, the thieves knew what they were doing. Alongside, several hundred cucumber, zucchini and eggplant plants have disappeared. Producers could lose 5,000 euros. “We missed this primeur niche a bit and generally, that’s where the product’s sales value is the highest.“, regrets Maurice Meyer, organic market gardener.

In a greenhouse in Vaucluse, 80 kg of strawberries were uprooted overnight. “There, such a quantity, it is not for personal consumption, it is for resale“, notes Julien Garcia, market gardener. In Caderousse (Vaucluse), five producers were robbed. The mayor, Christophe Reynier-Duval, fears that the farmers will come to defend themselves alone.