After a heatwave in June, Switzerland was hit by severe thunderstorms and hail during this last weekend and Monday evening. The regions around La Sarraz and Yverdon in the Vaud, Bielersee and the Biel Region, the Bernese Seeland and the Mittelland between Niederbipp and Lenzburg were reported to be the hardest hit. According to Swiss reports; vineyards, orchards, vegetable crops and nurseries have experienced damage, but experts would only start recording the exact damages in the days to come. A contact at Swisscofel, he said that overall damage from this last storm was minor, and that he expects the losses to be around 3-4% at the very most, but it is too soon to tell for sure. "The severe storms a few days ago seem to only have affected 4 or 5 growers and shouldn't really have much of an impact. The produce most affected was open field lettuce, strawberries and some apples, but nothing too major. The fact still remains that the biggest problem we face this year is the April frosts, where we had 2 very cold nights, causing losses of around 30-40%. We just need to wait and see what happens during the next two months." The total cost of the frost in late April that damaged fruit farms across Switzerland could be more than 100 million francs, according to a June estimate by the Swiss Fruit Association (SOV). Hubert Zufferey from Fruit-Union Suisse estimated that apple orchards suffered 42 million francs worth of damage. Cherry producers will be 25 million francs out of pocket with this year’s harvest is predicted to be only a quarter of its normal size. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com