Farmers worry that lack of migrants will ruin crops

FARMERS fear strawberries and other seasonal fruit and vegetables could be left to rot unless EU migrants are allowed into the UK after Brexit.

Food producers are urging Theresa May to guarantee they will still be able to hire seasonal workers from the Continent amid fears of a looming recruitment crisis. The Government is due to publish its immigration White Paper detailing its new plan for border control in the coming months.

A manifesto backed by 100 key players in the food industry, including the National Farmers’ Union, calls on the Prime Minister to ensure they will still be able to hire overseas workers.

It states: “With a significant proportion of EU nationals working in the UK agri-food sector, it is vital that the Government ensures a continuing, adequate supply of permanent and seasonal labour for the industry before and after the UK leaves the EU.”

The manifesto also stresses the importance of maintaining “frictionless” trade with the EU and creating an “efficient and proportionate” regulatory system after Brexit. It has been sent to Mrs May by Minette Batters, the NFU president, who said the food and farming sector was worth at least £112billion to the UK economy and employed approximately four million people.

Farmers and food producers are reportedly already experiencing workforce problems as a result of Brexit, with falling unemployment in European countries also to blame.

The Association of Labour Providers said 49 per cent of its providers do not expect to be able to source and supply sufficient numbers of workers this year. That has led to fears that fruit and

‘It is vital the Government ensures a continuing and adequate supply of permanent, seasonal labour’

vegetables could be left in fields to rot.

Stephanie Maurel, the chief executive of Concordia, which supplies 10,000 foreign workers to 200 farms in the UK each year, told The Observer: “Normally we have 10 people being interviewed by our agency for every job.

“As of a month ago, we are putting three or four job offers in front of each seasonal worker from Bulgaria and Romania. They are picking and choosing the ones they will come to.

“There has been a total switch around in 12 months. We’ve never had this before.”