The Timac Agro Lietuva employee who ridiculed the farmer's crops is no longer working. The company fails to solve another puzzle

Last week's scandal involving „Timac Agro Lietuva“ employees who joked about a frost damaged rape field is coming to a head. According to Brigita Pakalniene, the company's Marketing Project Manager, who uploaded the scandalous video to social media, the regional manager „Vitalij L. is no longer employed by the company," she told „Agrobitė“.

Another participant in the story, a consultant at the company, kept her job. The situation has not changed for Alma M.," said B. Pakalniene.

The company has previously apologised to the farming community for the inappropriate behaviour of the workers.

„We would like to reiterate – this kind of behaviour and comments about the situation of farmers' fields during this difficult period are unacceptable and completely incompatible with the values of „Timac Agro Lietuva“. They do not reflect the attitude of the company or its employees. We are currently actively assessing the situation within the company and are taking measures to ensure that such cases do not happen again in the future," said B. Pakalnienė, a representative of „Timac Agro Lietuva“.

Among others, when asked how the company was getting on with the search for the farmer whose rapeseed field had been laughed out of, B. Pakalnienė said that „at the moment, we have still not been able to locate the farmer whose field was seen in the video“.

„On Thursday morning, we contacted several customers whose fields are close to the area in question, but they did not know whose field it was. We also interviewed other farmers we know who work in the area, but could not obtain any information. We also tried to contact the Centre of Registers, but in the absence of a legal basis, this information cannot be provided in this situation due to the protection of personal data," explained B. Pakalnienė.

What happened?

„Agrobite“ reminds that since Wednesday, social networks have been bursting with farmers' reactions to a video shared by „Timac Agro Lietuva“ employees, which mocks a farmer's rapeseed field, which has been severely affected by frost.

Farmers not only shamed the company, but also openly called for a boycott of its products.

The scandalous video was posted on the „TikTok“ platform on the account of Vitalij Levon, regional manager of „Timac Agro Lietuva“, but quickly spread to „Facebook“ network.

„Dear Alma, you are now in a potential field. We can see that oilseed rape is very potential. We can see that what kind of... the number of branches is huge. See how strongly the... It's not blooming here yet... Just, will there be six tonnes here?", asks my colleague Levon, showing the obviously frost damaged plants, of which even about 2 tonnes are unlikely to be harvested by a farmer.

„Well, maybe not six, but 5.5 should be enough", – replies Alma Merkevičienė, a smiling "Timac Agro Lietuva" consultant in the field.

In a public apology, „Timac Agro Lietuva“ stressed that it respects every Lithuanian farmer. „Your work, especially in the face of extreme weather conditions, requires not only knowledge but also strength. We apologise once again to all those who were offended by the post. Such behaviour has no place in our organisation and will have no place in our organisation," the company said.