Farmers could be hit hard by deal
Over the last few weeks, we have been hearing a lot about our future relationship with other countries now that the UK has left the European Union.
The trade deal with Australia that is being pushed by the UK government could be potentially disastrous for our farming sector and could see the UK market opened up to lower quality products.
This would of course be the benchmark that all other countries would be starting from when it comes to their own deals with the UK, and would inevitably put some UK food producers out of business and make it harder for consumers to know that the food that they are buying has been produced to a high standard of quality.
It is not just politicians that are up in arms about the prospect of a zero tariff deal, the NFU, the Country and Land Business Association and many more industry bodies have all warned about what this could mean for our domestic producers’ viability going forward.
Given that my constituency has so many agricultural and food and drinks businesses, this is naturally of extreme concern and I have made my feelings on this very clear to UK ministers.
Another disaster which has been magnified by Brexit has been the lack of seasonal workers in Scotland this year.
I recently visited a number of businesses in Highland Perthshire who told me of the real trouble they are having in attracting workers this year.
This isn’t just in the traditional sorts of jobs that we associate with seasonal work, such as fruit picking.
This is pretty far-reaching in our hospitality and tourism sectors, and some are telling me that they just do not have access to the labour that they need this year.
In part this is due to the pandemic and many people travelling home to be with family during what has been a deeply troubling time for us all, but it is also largely in part due to the fact that freedom of movement has ended as a result of our departure from the EU.
Ten-day quarantine aside, it is no longer possible to simply accept a job and jump on a plane.
To those that say‘Why can’t they employ locals?’the honest answer is that we do not have a large pool of domestic labour just waiting to be employed.
The majority of these jobs are seasonal, require people to live in staff accommodation and can sometimes work relatively anti-social hours, so it is easy to see why not everyone is willing to give up their current career for these positions.
We have previously secured concessions when it comes to seasonal workers, but the UK government really needs to think differently about how workers can come to the UK to take up employment.
Failure to revise this will see businesses in tourism, hospitality and agriculture struggle.
If these businesses are allowed to fail, then the impact on our wider communities will be stark.
It is time for action.
I am still available to assist constituents with matters, despite still working from home.
I can be contacted by sending an email to pete. wishart.mp@parliament.uk.
Alternatively, call 01250 876 576.