Drought in the Netherlands: heat on the railroad and summer smog in the south-east

Still no water shortage

Overijssel farmers do not have to worry about lack of water yet. According to Marcel Markhorst, an arable farmer and market gardener, there is currently enough surface water available. He said this to RTV Oost

In order to spray their land, farmers can choose from water from water sources or surface water. "If farmers want to use the surface water, they first report it to the water manager in the area, and the director decides if it is allowed," says Markhorst, director of the LTO Noord Overijssel

. apply, they risk a fine of 2000 euros. However, in practice, this is not really the case, says Markhorst: "If you, as a farmer, keep a good contact with the manager, you will avoid a fine, which often gives a signal to the farmer when the spraying has to be stopped. "

Farmers in Groningen have already started to collect barley because of persistent drought. Normally, they arrive at the end of July, but now it happens three weeks earlier than normal. "At first, there was a lot of rainfall and then there was a long drought, after which the harvest matured automatically." one of these farmers told RTV Noord