Farmers say that the automaker’s cannons, which are used to destroy hail buildup in the sky, are the cause for a drought in the region
Mexican farmers are suing automaker Volkswagen to the tune of USD 3.7 million for allegedly ‘changing the weather’ at its factory in Puebla, Mexico.
According to a report by Jalopnik, the factory uses massive cannons to destroy hail in the atmosphere before it can form and rain down on the factory and its new cars.
These hail cannons fire powerful blasts of compressed gas into the sky in order to break apart the hail.
The region’s farmers are claiming that these cannons are influencing the weather and has led to a drought in the area, thus damaging several crops.
But Volkswagen is not the only company in Puebla to adopt this technology; some farmers themselves use these cannons to stop hail from trampling their crops.
The manufacturer of the cannons states that a drought is unlikely as the effective radius of a cannon is only about 600 square feet.
However, Volkswagen issued a statement saying that it would turn off the cannons’ automatic mode, which is currently in operation, and instead install anti-hail nets over the factory’s storage yards.
Both the farmers and Volkswagen are collaborating to reach a common consensus with the local government serving as an intermediary.