Mouse invasion plagues Friesland farmers

A mouse plague has been destroying fields in Friesland in the northwest of the country, depleting crops as the rodents eat entire patches of land.

According to Omrop Fryslân, recent weeks have seen the mice mostly causing damage in peat meadows, but they have now also infiltrated clay areas.

“They eat the roots and then the grass dies,” farmer Jan Brouwer from Koufurderrige told the broadcaster. He estimates that it reduces his grass yield by up to 20%.

Drought

The outbreak comes on the heels of a countrywide drought, which has also affected the farmers.

But as there’s no irrigation ban in Friesland yet as compared to other areas of the country, Brouwer was able to flood his fields to flush out the mice. The critters drown in their burrows, and those that try to escape are easy prey for birds.

The water has also helped his land come back to life. “We were making silage today and the grass is starting to come back quite nicely in those spots,” said Brouwer.

The nearby Ijsselmeer still has plenty of water, but that could change if the drought persists.

There have been several mouse plagues since 2015 in the region. And with them, comes an owl invasion, including the short-eared owl. “I have seen at least six short-eared owls here in the past few weeks,” says Brouwer.

Researchers expect the number of mice to decrease substantially next year. “With such a plague, at a certain point there are simply too many,” said Niek Bosma of the regional waterboard. “Then a disease sets in, and within a few weeks all those mice are dead.”

But a few ultimately remain, meaning another mouse plague is inevitable.