Boars destroy harvests – Farmers in despair

Herds of wild boars, which destroy crops before harvest time, have appeared in various parts of the country, leaving farmers in despair. Every night they literally thresh the farmers’ crops, destroying all plants in their path.

Farmers and livestock producers are faced with new and greater disasters every day, without being able to do anything to prevent this new scourge, which will probably mean that their goats and sheep will starve in the coming winter, as corn is the main fodder for their animals.

Read also: Crete: Lack of land laborers – Farmers prone to late harvests

So far, disasters have been reported in corn crops, vines, fruit and vegetable crops, as well as tree crops (pears, apples, etc.).

Many farmers have also incurred additional costs due to resorting to preventive measures such as fencing and other deterrents.

As farmers from various regions of the country who are affected by the overpopulation of wild boars point out, in an update they received from the Organization for Agricultural Compensation – ELGA, compensation for the destruction caused by wild boars has not been included in the Organization’s regulation.

Are boars aggressive?

The wild boar is not aggressive towards humans, on the contrary, when it perceives human presence it flees.

The only cases in which the wild boar becomes aggressive are when a female is nursing her young, or when it’s injured due to hunting

Recommendations for citizens of mountainous and semi-mountainous areas

Citizens of mountainous and semi-mountainous areas should:

Not treat boars as pets and not offer them food.

Not leave garbage in yards.

Be especially careful in wild boar crossing areas.

Leave some light on outside homes.

Have a guard dog in their fenced yard if possible.

Use various repellents, which are sold legally, such as sprays with odors that are particularly unpleasant for boars, granules of natural essential oils suitable for application to lawns and trees, sound cannons.

Carry objects that cause noise during their walk (noise aerosols, whistles, etc.)