More Austrian farmers see crops destroyed by snowy, frosty weather

Icy weather marked by heavy snow and frost has caused further damage to crops in Austria this time in the southern state of Carinthia, local media reported Friday.

Fruit farmers in the state of Styria had suffered massive losses to their crops at the start of the week due to frost, with total damages estimated to have effected up to 80 percent of crops and to have amounted to over a 100 million U.S. dollars worth of losses.

Heavy snow and frost that begun on Wednesday has now led to a similar outcome for farmers in Carinthia, with the state agricultural chamber estimating that between 60 and 100 percent of fruit crops in the state have been destroyed in the past few days.

ORF quoted agricultural chamber expert Markus Tschischej as saying that farmers are constantly coming to report damage to cherries, nuts and vegetables.

A full damage assessment is not expected until next week, though Tschischej noted the farmers affected will have dire need of aid via catastrophe funds.

A large amount of damage was also reported to have occurred in the forests in the state, particularly affecting deciduous trees and shrubs, in turn affecting the overall health of the forests.

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