Storms Destroy 20% of Belgian Cherry Harvest

Approximately 20% of the Belgian cherry harvest has been destroyed by a combination of weeks of heavy rainfall and severe hailstorms that struck the Limburg region over the weekend of May 30-31, according to VRT NWS. The damage, which spans the Haspengouw fruit-growing belt from Lanaken to Sint-Truiden, comes just two weeks before the harvest was set to begin, maximizing the economic blow to local growers.

Devastation Across the Cherry Belt

The extreme weather hit Limburg’s cherry growers with a one-two punch. Prolonged rainfall in the weeks leading up to the storms caused many cherries to crack, and then the weekend’s hailstorms — featuring hailstones up to 3 centimeters in diameter — inflicted additional severe damage. Kris Jans of Belorta, the Borgloon-based fruit auction that serves the region, confirmed the scope of the destruction.

“There is both water and hail damage,” Jans told VRT NWS. “Due to the heavy rain of recent weeks, some varieties had started to show cracks. The local hail damage added to that. We expect about 20 percent damage.” He noted that the hail damage extends from Lanaken through Hoeselt and Borgloon to Sint-Truiden.

Individual Growers Hit Even Harder

For some farmers, the losses are far steeper than the regional average. Dieter Vandevoordt, a cherry grower in Hoepertingen (Tongeren-Borgloon), lost roughly one-third of his cherries in just a few hours on Sunday morning. He estimates 35 to 40 percent damage in his plantations.

“At 5 o’clock in the morning it started with very heavy hail, balls of 2 to 3 centimeters were no exception,” Vandevoordt said. “Some cherries are completely split or burst open by the hail, those are for the trash bin.”

While cherries with minor surface damage may still heal, the uncertainty over their market value compounds the financial strain on growers already facing a reduced yield.

The Protective Cover Gap

Only about 30% of cherry plantations in Limburg are currently covered by overhead protection, which shields crops from heavy rain and hail. The cost of installing such covers — approximately €80,000 to €90,000 per hectare — remains prohibitive for many family-run orchards.

Vandevoordt acknowledged the financial challenge but said he is now considering the investment. “Actually, the price of cherries would need to be one euro per kilo higher to be able to pay for that investment,” he explained. “Still, I’m considering taking the step next year, just to have some certainty.”

Kris Jans of Belorta emphasized that consumers have a role to play. “If we as Belgians dare to be a bit more chauvinistic and are willing to pay the right price for Belgian cherries, then growers can also invest more in those covers,” he said. “That way we can challenge nature a bit.”

Broader Weather Context

The cherry damage was part of a wider pattern of severe weather that swept across Belgium over the weekend. The Royal Meteorological Institute (KMI) issued code orange thunderstorm warnings for large parts of the country on May 30. The storms brought hailstones as large as ping-pong balls — up to 6 cm in some areas — along with intense rainfall, wind gusts, and localized flooding that triggered over 1,000 emergency calls in Wallonia alone, as documented in the VRT NWS liveblog.

On June 2, code yellow warnings remained active across Belgium, with 10 to 40 liters of rain per square meter expected in under 24 hours, raising concerns that further damage could follow.

Economic and Long-Term Implications

Belorta is Europe’s largest cooperative fruit and vegetable auction, with 600 fruit producers generating a product turnover of €626 million in 2023, according to Made in Limburg. The cherry segment — 6 million kg of sweet cherries annually — represents a meaningful part of that output, and a 20% reduction will be felt throughout the supply chain.

Consumers can expect higher prices for Belgian cherries this season as reduced supply meets steady demand. For growers, the disaster may accelerate the adoption of protective overhead covers, though the high upfront cost remains a significant barrier. The storm damage has already triggered discussions about disaster fund recognition in affected municipalities, raising the question of whether similar mechanisms might be needed for agricultural losses.

What to Watch For

As the harvest season approaches, several open questions remain. The full economic value of the lost crop has yet to be calculated, and it is unclear whether the Flemish or Belgian government will offer compensation to affected growers. Further storms forecast for the coming days could worsen the situation, and the extent to which this year’s losses will drive investment in protective infrastructure across Limburg’s cherry orchards remains to be seen.

For now, growers like Vandevoordt are left counting their losses and hoping for better conditions ahead. “We stand two weeks before picking,” he said. “Some cherries are completely split or burst open by the hail. Those are for the trash bin.”