Belgium: Expensive cherries tempt thieves, orchards are plundered

Cherry growers in the Haspengouw region in eastern Belgium are plagued by a new plague. Their orchards are plagued by cherry thieves. Haspengouw is located in the south of Limburg, Belgium, and is mainly famous for its fruit growing. Rustic cherry orchards are plagued by a new scourge: thieves. In the recent incident at the Wellen cherry orchard, an unknown number of people stripped the trees in the early hours of the morning, taking away hundreds of kilos of cherries. There is talk of gangs plundering the orchards there. When caught, they are not afraid to use violence. This year, cherries are expensive. A kilogram of cherries costs between 7 and 8 euros in Belgium, so it's no wonder that thieves choose them as a commodity they steal. A team of about ten people can rob a farmer of thousands of euros in a matter of hours. The process of stealing cherries from the orchards is so large that police patrols have been sent to stop the theft, but this has had little effect. Additional ...