The situation in Spain has dominated the news for weeks. The havoc caused by storms and floods is immense, and the full extent of the consequences is still not entirely clear. Luc Vanoirbeek, of the Federation of Belgian Horticultural Cooperatives (VBT), says the impact will inevitably be felt and warns that we are likely to experience more disasters of this kind in the future.
"First and foremost, the human suffering being endured there is terrible. That is incalculable," he says. "But it's also crucial to consider how we will respond moving forward, as climate change is now becoming truly tangible."
"Looking at Spain, it's undoubtedly a tragedy," he continues. "What those people have lost is unimaginable. At one point, there were reports of around 4,000 hectares of cultivation area destroyed. By comparison, in Flanders, we don't even have 2,000 hectares of greenhouse horticulture in total. That's enormous. The impact will inevitably ripple across Europe in the short term. How exactly this will unfold remains uncertain. Who will step in to fill the gap? Can it even be filled? These are difficult questions to answer right now. It also depends on how Spain itself responds in the short term—whether growers will give up after losing everything or seize the opportunity to modernize. In this respect, it's still very much a guessing game."
Long-term solutions
"What will be truly important is how we address this in the long term," Luc continues. "This isn't just about Spain; think of the disaster in Emilia Romagna, or storm Boris, which caused flooding in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Austria. Climate change is no longer a distant concept—it's here and tangible. As a sector, we need to develop strategies to manage this risk on a European level. This won't be the last disaster we face. We're going to see more in the future. It's not just Spain's problem, or Austria's, or Poland's—it's Europe's problem. We saw this recently with floods in Belgium and France as well."
The experienced sector manager stresses the importance of preparedness. "This brings us to agricultural policy. On one hand, we need to work on preventing such tragedies, and water management is crucial here. Extreme weather patterns—alternating between very dry and very wet periods—are becoming the norm. We need systems that can capture, drain, or recover water as needed. These are essentially infrastructural measures that will be necessary, and we can support them at the European level. This isn't just an issue for southern Europe; it's relevant across the entire continent."
"In addition, we must enable people to adopt better crop protection systems—hail nets, sun protection, for instance. Investment in these, as well as in viable risk insurance systems, is crucial. While such insurance systems are already integrated into producer organizations, we'll need to go further. In short, what has happened should serve as a wake-up call. Beyond the immediate human suffering, we must think about building greater resilience for the future. Disasters like these are going to happen more often. These are uncertain times, and as the EU, we must stand firm."
Limited impact of Trump
Luc also draws a connection to Trump's election. "I'm often asked about this, but it highlights, once again, the importance of having our own affairs in order. That said, I don't expect the fruit and vegetable trade with the U.S. to be significantly impacted. Our trade with the U.S. was already fairly limited, and there was a lot of protectionism in place. Some suggest things will change drastically under Trump compared to Biden, but I don't think that's the case. My main concern is the unpredictability of the new U.S. president. You never know what he might do, so we need to ensure we're well-prepared as the EU."
For more information:
Luc Vanoirbeek 
VBT
[email protected]
www.vbt.eu