HARD WORK FOR LITTLE MONEY

I read with interest Sara Maitland’s article on how the British view manual labour, in particular rural manual labour (January issue). I think she is right, in that most of us would not choose a job as an unskilled manual worker, unless we could not find any other work, as it is usually repetitive, often means working outside in all weathers and is notoriously poorly paid. I believe, though, that most of us see it as hard honest work, and respect anyone who is prepared to do it, as it is often vital and important work.

Rural manual work – particularly crop picking – is different. This has always been viewed as casual, seasonal work often carried out by travellers, gangs of workers from abroad, students and others needing temporary work. The pay is notoriously appalling.

I live in an area of Hampshire where strawberries and other soft fruits are grown. As a teenager, we would go fruit picking in the summer to earn pocket money, and my daughters did the same. We often worked alongside students from abroad. It was hard work for very poor money, but as it was casual work that you could pick up and drop as you liked, people were willing to do it. You were paid by the weight of the fruit you picked.

Why crops rotted in the fields last year is food for thought. There would have been no students or overseas workers because of Covid. Would youngsters be willing to work in the fields for poor wages as they used to? The hospitality industry is now crying out for seasonal workers, a much more glamorous option for many, and as it is generally better regulated, will be better paid. I doubt whether many students would consider crop-picking in the fields as work they would undertake. Is this snobbery or just that there are better paid and more glamorous options? Angela Shale, via email

Editor Fergus Collins replies:

Excellent points. In my teens I spent two summers picking and bagging potatoes on a Somerset farm. It was hard work and I and my fellow workers were berated by the farmer daily. I gained a suntan and some muscles but I lacked the skill and speed to make more than a pittance. But it has given me total respect for those who can do such work for a living.

nature reserve Minsmere. Not to mention appalling consequences in the future, as sea levels rise and the huge amounts of radioactive waste on site that can’t be disposed of. Clare Rizzo, Suffolk

LOCAL BUTCHERS

I appreciate this is a sensitive, potentially emotive subject, but I’d be interested to learn about the current state of abattoirs.

I know many of the smaller ones have been closed and the longer the distance animals have to travel, the more distressing it must be for them. I remember a butcher in Kington proudly advertising that none of the meat sold in their shop had travelled more than three miles.

I have friends in the Wye Valley/ Forest of Dean area who have a smallholding and keep a few sheep and goats. They recently took some to a local, small abattoir who immediately commented that these animals were more like pets and said they would deal with them first to minimise any distress. I thought that was pretty impressive.

Bill van Marle, Cradley

ONLY HUMAN

I have just read the letter from an incensed Laura Johnston (February issue) wading into totally over-thetop criticism of Ellie Harrison. It appears to be a sad sign of the times that expressing a view, however mildly, runs the risk of the sort of extreme and intolerant criticism illustrated by said correspondent.

At no time seeing Ellie on Countryfile or reading her excellent monthly column have I ever thought her flippant about the climate crisis and ecological disaster we are bringing about. She was merely being human, acknowledging as we all must, perhaps even Ms Johnston, that we should all do more and we all fall short at times.

Robert Dawson, via email