Local farmers scramble to salvage crops after brutal tornado outbreak: 'Now we can only hope'
Severe weather, including two tornadoes, recently ripped through southern Spain, leaving destroyed berry crops and greenhouse wreckage in its wake. With no foreseeable end to similar climate extremes, farmers are scrambling to rebuild — and bracing for what's next.
Storm Laurence swept through the Huelva region of Spain in mid-March, devastating an estimated 300 to 400 hectares — or about 740 to 990 acres — of soft fruit greenhouses across several towns.
Huelva is one of Europe's top hubs for soft fruit production, particularly berries. These crops are typically grown in macro-tunnels and greenhouses, which are vulnerable to strong winds and storm damage.
Freshuelva — a local growers' association — reports Storm Laurence's tornadoes ripped apart produce coverings, collapsed structures onto growing plants, and twisted greenhouse ironwork. Strawberry farms suffered significant water damage, while blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry bushes were destroyed while the berries were currently in production.
Even before Storm Laurence's destruction, four tornadoes had already been reported in Huelva in recent months, an unusual frequency for the region.
"As far as I know, it's not normal for such an amount of tornadoes or sea sleeves to occur," Freshuelva spokesperson Rafael Domínguez Guillén said in a press release.
Adding to the destruction, Fruitnet reports that 20 days of non-stop rain in the region have delayed fruit ripening and rendered 15% to 20% of local crops unmarketable. And the damage isn't limited to berries — olives, citrus, cereals, and wine grapes have also been negatively affected by recent weather.
Farmers are increasingly concerned about climate instability — not just in Spain but globally. Regions worldwide are experiencing more unpredictable and severe weather driven by environmental degradation and climate shifts. The consequences are far-reaching, including reduced crop yields, higher produce prices, and serious threats to farmers' livelihoods.
In Huelva, for instance, Freshuelva noted that strawberries will now require additional quality checks before reaching consumers, increasing prices overall. That is in addition to likely price hikes from reduced availability, given that 15 to 20% of strawberry crops have been rendered unmarketable. And while these price hikes may make some money back for growers, it doesn't offset the cost of lost product — and the high cost of rebuilding infrastructure post-disaster.
Storm Laurence isn't just an unusual weather event — it's a climate warning. Consider it a signal of how urgent and widespread environmental degradation truly is, on your grocery bill and beyond.
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A local growers' association is working with agricultural insurance companies to assess the damage from Storm Laurence. Farmers are already rebuilding structures to protect surviving crops, especially with more rain expected in the coming weeks.
"It's raining too much, and this could lead to the appearance of diseases and problems with the harvest," Domínguez Guillén said, adding, "Now we can only hope that these will be the last rains … so that we can have a little more peace of mind than we've had so far this season."
Freshuelva also highlighted that local growers have been "waiting 25 years for the construction of the Alcolea reservoir, which would have alleviated these floods and overflows." The association says the dam would also supply water to local communities often impacted by water shortages.
Meanwhile, the global agricultural sector is working on making crops, including berries, more resilient to extreme weather and improving growing infrastructure, like greenhouses and macro-tunnels, to be more resilient to wind damage.
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