Pressure mounts as growers bear cost of homegrown workforce

NFU Scotland horticulture committee chairman James Porter added: “With the cost of minimum wage rising by 6 per cent alongside inexperienced workers contributing to lower output yields, which has seen a reduction of about 4p per punnet, growers are facing substantial losses.”

Recruitment campaigns

Despite nationwide Government-backed recruitment campaigns such as Pick for Britain generating high levels of interest in picking roles, very few applicants had been offered jobs.

When British workers were taken on by farm businesses, many quit their roles soon after.

David Hobbes, a self-employed landscape gardener from Buckinghamshire, who utilised the website after finding himself out of work for 6 weeks due to Covid-19, said the scheme had proved largely unsuccessful.

“I applied to a number of farms but received responses back which detailed they had filled their vacancies. I was surprised given that you hear stories about them being severely short staffed and in desperate need of local workers," he said.

"And despite the drive for British workers, it seems the Government is willing to allow growers to charter planes to bring in migrant labour during the coronavirus pandemic.”

Skilled

NFU vice-president Tom Bradshaw acknowledged the ‘huge’ picking operation at harvest needed to be supplemented by skilled workers from overseas.

He said: “We have been relying on overseas labour for the past 20 years as they are a criticial part of our workforce. It would be impossible to operate without them.

“And many workers in the UK have been met with the harsh reality of a labour-intensive and highly dexterous job, which has meant some have been unable to stick at it. This has caused problems for growers, as the recruitment process begins again.”

Increase

Although a sharp increase in UK unemployment has been predicted due to the pandemic, many of those without employment were not based where farmwork was available and those who had been furloughed would be expected to go back to their previous jobs.