Virus chaos snarls farm workers as new season buds in Europe

GENTHIN, Germany (AP) — Asparagus grower Henning Hoffheinz is looking at blue skies, a record-early harvest – and a big problem.

The harvest of white asparagus – a ubiquitous and cherished fixture on springtime menus in Germany, frequently slathered in rich Hollandaise sauce – is providing a first test of the fallout from the coronavirus crisis on a farming sector that relies heavily on migrant workers.

The open borders that have characterized the European Union are being closed to prevent the virus from spreading, meaning that tens of thousands of seasonal workers can't reach the farms that rely on them, causing lost revenue for them and the businesses that employ them. In some cases, migrant workers are heading back to their home countries in hopes of living through the lockdown near family.

“As things stand, it is not possible to bring harvesters to Germany, which is a disaster,” says Hoffheinz in a field full of asparagus covered with plastic sheeting at Genthin, west of Berlin.

Last year, German farmers employed nearly 300,000 seasonal workers, many from eastern Europe and willing to do heavy manual labor for prosperous Germany’s minimum wage, currently 9.35 euros ($10.25) per hour. Spain has about 15,000 who typically come in from Morocco for the strawberry picking season, which is already under way, and half are expected to stay away this year. Across the EU, some 100,000 come in from outside the bloc to work in seasonal employment.

Hoffheinz managed to bring in 25 Romanians before the borders jammed up – far fewer than the 45 to 50 he will need when the season is in full swing in three weeks. Because of various border closures, “no laborers are coming from the whole eastern bloc, no matter where you look,” he says. He says he'll try to find Germans to do some of the logistical jobs...