Bad news from Germany

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On the night of Wednesday 9 Jun thunderstorms, hail and torrential rains caused an estimated 20-30 million euros' worth of damage to vineyards and other agricultural crops in the south west of Germany.

Particularly affected were the regions of the southern Pfalz and Rheinhessen. Worst hit was the area between the towns of Landau and Bad Bergzabern, particularly around the villages of Wollmersheim, Ilbesheim and Merzheim, where an overall area of about 6,000 ha took the brunt of the elements. This included some 1,000 ha of vineyards where plants were so badly damaged that it will take a number of...