Growers affected by severe weather in Ens, a village in the Noordoostpolder region of Flevoland province in the Netherlands, are busy clearing broken glass from their greenhouses. Ens became the epicenter of extensive damage following a severe hailstorm. Initial assessments show that growers with tempered glass on their greenhouses sustained less damage than those with standard glass.

Insurer Interpolis confirmed this pattern in an interview with De Stentor (€) (link in Dutch). A similar difference between lighter, standard glass and stronger, tempered glass was observed during a major hailstorm that struck Someren in 2016. Broken panes in Ens are now being replaced with new, stronger glass. Insurers are actively encouraging growers to switch to tempered glass, pointing to the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events.

Loui van Sluijs, chair of the local community organization Dorpsbelang Ens, discussed the damage in an interview with Omroep Flevoland (link in Dutch). He noted that greenhouse growers were among the hardest hit, while also describing damage across the village to roof tiles, windows, solar panels and cars, as well as losses suffered by arable farmers, including himself. Several specialized companies, such as HS Tuinbouw Service and Voorwinden Groep, sent staff and equipment to help clear the damage. According to Van Sluijs, this kind of specialized support is necessary because it is too dangerous for regular greenhouse staff to work in and around broken glass.

More extreme weather is increasing the risks facing greenhouse horticulture businesses, raising the question of whether the sector risks becoming uninsurable. In a podcast (link in Dutch), Jaap Breugem, senior agricultural manager at Achmea, the parent company of insurers Interpolis and Avéro Achmea, explains what will be needed to keep greenhouse horticulture insurable in the future.

The sector is preparing for more extreme weather by building smarter and reducing the likelihood of damage through prevention and additional safety measures. New greenhouse construction increasingly relies on tempered glass, which offers better resistance to hail. Stricter requirements are also being applied to greenhouse structures to limit damage from storms and snow loads. According to Breugem, the sector's ability to adapt will be essential to keeping greenhouse horticulture insurable over the long term.
 

Source: www.floraldaily.com