Farmers say Volkswagen's anti-hail cannons hurt their crops

摘要

Farmers in Puebla, Mexico, allege that Volkswagen AG's weather cannons caused a drought that led to crop losses. The weather cannons send out shock waves that are designed to prevent hail from forming and falling on top of Volkswagen cars outside the Puebla factory. There's no scientific consensus that the cannons actually affect the weather, however. Volkswagen Mexico said it will start using netting above cars as its main form of protection against hail and will use the cannons as a backup. "Volkswagen Mexico is committed to maintaining good relationships and open dialogue with our neighboring communities," the company said in a statement to The Washington Post on Friday. "After meeting with local authorities about how to protect vehicles from hailstorms at our Puebla, Mexico, factory, we will suspend the automatic operation of anti-hail sonic devices near our vehicle storage yards and will only operate them in manual mode when weather conditions determine hail is imminent."