Brothers in despair

Disaster instead of a new start – orchard ruined

"Two years of work for nothing," explain the brothers Michael and Christoph Simon.(Bild: Doris Seebacher)

The catastrophic weather at the weekend destroyed Christoph and Michael Simon's dreams for the future overnight, as two thirds of all their apricot trees were destroyed. The desperate brothers have now launched a call for help and are worried about the insurance. 

Strong gusts of wind swept over Mollram near Neunkirchen in the night from Saturday to Sunday and destroyed two thirds of the Simon brothers' plantation - including the harvest. "20 to 30 tons of apricots were destroyed," says Christoph Simon.

Proud presentation the previous year
In 2023, the two proudly presented their new 1.2 million euro project - an orchard with special anti-aqua netting. This should keep out 90 percent of the rainfall. Unfortunately, not the wind. The storm caused the scaffolding of the net to collapse like a house of cards. As a result, the trees were simply bent over and destroyed. The same goes for the irrigation system. The brothers still don't know what will happen next: "The insurance will only just pay for the disposal!"

Volunteers urgently needed
Michael and Christoph are now calling on people to help them repair the damage via video. "If you want to help, just call 0699/10626175," says Christoph Simon and thanks everyone for their support. The clean-up work should begin by Friday at the latest.