Without thousands of Thai berry pickers, there was a fear that the berries would rot in the forest. Now it seems that demand has pushed the prices so high, that Finns have returned to the forests to pick the berries themselves. The sharp drop in the number of Thai berry pickers arriving in Finland has unexpectedly created a lucrative opportunity for local residents, with soaring berry prices encouraging thousands of Finns to head into the forests this summer. The development highlights an unexpected consequence of Finland’s decision to tighten recruitment of foreign berry pickers. Rather than leaving berries to spoil, the higher prices have encouraged many Finns to return to a traditional seasonal activity that had increasingly been carried out by migrant workers from Thailand.