A quarter of young strawberry plants in Suonenjoki region destroyed by voles

Damage not expected to affect price of strawberries

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In Suonenjoki, Finland’s number one strawberry production district, voles and moles seem to have destroyed at least a quarter of this summer’s sprouts. In all, there are around 200 strawberry farms in the Suonenjoki region, in Central Finland.
      According to executive director Ilkka Voutilainen of the Berry Growers' Association of the Suonenjoki Region, only a couple of farms have been spared from the damage.
      Suonenjoki farmer Juha Nenonen estimates that on his farm the rate of damage is in the region of 40 per cent.
      Nearly half of his eight-hectare field has already been ruined by the action of field voles. In addition, the little critters have destroyed the gauze sheeting used to cover the sprouts on a five-hectare area.
      The ultimate extent of the devastation will be revealed in the coming weeks. Because of the somewhat chilly spring, not all of the flower buds have sprung up yet.
     
Nenonen has managed to acquire small strawberry seedlings to replace the ones lost to the pests. The new sprouts will produce strawberries towards the end of July. Nenonen was lucky, for many nursery gardens have already sold out all of their strawberry seedlings for this season.
      Since mole damages are not covered by the law on crop failures, the farmer ends up picking up the tab for the blight.
      However, Hannu Salo, the Managing Director of the Finnish Association of Fruit and Berry Growers, does not believe the infestation will affect this summer’s strawberry prices. “In theory the price may go up, but more crucial factors are still the summer’s weather and the volume of imported strawberries.“
     
In addition to the farmers, also the strawberry pickers will suffer. The need for seasonal workforce will be determined by whether the sections of fields ravished by voles and moles are kept in production or if they will be simply discarded.
      Nenonen explains that from the area messed up by the animals, only the small produce that it yields will be collected, and in the autumn the section will be ploughed up. “I had to call 15 berry pickers and tell them that there is no work this summer.” Customarily around 70 seasonal workers from Petrozavodsk in Russia have worked on Nenonen’s farm as strawberry pickers.
      In addition to the North Savo region, mole incursions have been discovered almost everywhere in Southern Finland.
     
Of Finland’s 3,300 hectares of strawberry fields, 380 hectares are located in the Suonenjoki region. Around ten per cent of the strawberries on the market come from Suonenjoki.
      In peak years the area has produced around 2.5 million kilograms of the fruit that is so closely associated with the short Finnish summer.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Moles damage plants at Laukaa gene bank (15.5.2009)
  Shortage of late-season pickers threatens Suonenjoki berry farms (7.8.2008)
  Finnish strawberry growers prefer foreign berry pickers (12.6.2007)

Links:
  Berry Growers´ Association of the Suonenjoki Region

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