A sweep of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug by a team of wardens, environmental police officers and volunteers resulted in the seizure of 36.5 kilos of illegally picked mushrooms.
The 21-person strong team caught one person with a shopping bag containing 13 kilos and another who had 14 kilos in his car. Others were found with smaller amounts ranging from 200 grammes to three kilos.
“We were shocked by what we found. It’s absurd that food that is keeping animals alive is being stolen,” a warden told RTL Nieuws. “The woods are being pilfered. We found over 36 kilos today and you can imagine how much was picked yesterday and what they will pick tomorrow,” he said.
Sunday’s sweep of the area was prompted by a proliferation of pickers last year and will not be he last, he said.
The rules for mushroom picking differ from municipality to municipality. In the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, people can collect chestnuts and beech nuts up to 250 grammes but not pick mushrooms.
“The people we caught said they didn’t know the rules but some walked off when they saw us or left their bag, saying it wasn’t theirs. That tells us they know that what they are doing is illegal,’ he said.
The people who were caught were fined, depending on the amount they picked. The mushrooms were returned to their “rightful owner”, or the wood, in the hope the spores would still do their work.
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