Producers in Westland have been restricted from drawing water from dykes for first time ever in response to drought
Glasshouse growers in the Dutch glasshouse heartland of Westland fear losing up to €150 million, according to the national industry body for glasshouse growers, after an irrigation ban came into force on 5 August.
The ban on using water from dykes to irrigate crops was imposed as an anti-drought measure by the Delfland water authority on the Dutch west coast.
The Hague’s regional broadcaster Omroep West reported that Glastuinbouw Nederland, the industry body for greenhouse growers, said around 150 growers are affected by the ban and requested an exemption to be allowed to draw water from dykes at night. The water board refused.
Low river levels are causing salinisation, with saltwater coming further inland to the detriment of water quality and nature.
All sluice gates in Westland have been closed to protect drinking water from being contaminated by sea water, and glasshouse owners were given until midnight on 4 August to fill their reservoirs, according to Omroep West.
It is the first time ever that the Delfland water board, which covers an area near The Hague proliferated by glasshouse producers, has banned irrigation from dykes.
Glastuinbouw Nederland warned that a two-to-three-week irrigation ban could cost glasshouse growers in Westland around €150 million.
The organisation has asked the water board if, as a fallback option, companies can spray their crops with purified wastewater or seawater, explaining that “any water is better than no water”.
A ban on drawing water is also in force in parts of the Brabantse Delta region, near Breda in the south of the Netherlands, Dutch News reported
The ban there initially covered 9am to 9pm, but was last week extended to 24 hours and now includes fruit growers, which were previously exempt.
Coos ter Mors, the sales and procurement manager for Nationwide Produce’s Dutch division Vitaal Europe, told FPJ he has heard mixed reactions from glasshouse vegetable producers in Westland.
One major supplier reported that nobody is saying production will stop soon but acknowledged the situation is different for each grower. Another said the irrigation ban could be a “big problem” in a few weeks.
The north of Holland is also home to many large-scale glasshouses but so far, that part of the country has not been hit with restrictions to irrigation.
Worryingly for Dutch fresh produce growers, the weather shows little sign of improving, with no rain forecast and more high temperatures expected.
The rain deficit is expected to exceed that of the drought-hit summer of 2018, according to Amsterdam-based publication NL Times.
