In the past I have undertaken quite a lot of work which involved me talking to growers in the glasshouse and field vegetable sectors. This included the work I did on biocontrol (ongoing) and a Defra funded project which looked at polytunnels among other issues.
I have seen this work being done and even with picking rigs in the field it is arduous, repetitive and requires high levels of concentration.
Everyone I interviewed was of the clear view that it was no use taking workers from the local unemployed pool. They didn't turn up on time; they were less productive; and they soon gave up. Anecdotally, this seemed to be confirmed by a programme that the BBC filmed in Wisbech.
It is therefore no surprise to learn from the Financial Times yesterday that although a local recruitment drive has been relatively successful, productivity among these workers is lower and in the case of one major grower a third have already left. Half were not able to achieve the required picking rates.
This is a low margin business in which labour can account for 70 per cent of the costs. According to the Pink 'Un net operating margins are just 9.5 per cent.
Normally there are 70,000 to 80,000 migrant workers in the sector. A seasonal workers scheme this year let in 10,000 temporary non-EU farm workers.
Some crops such as asparagus have already been left unpicked this year because of the pandemic. In the longer run, supplies could diminish and prices go up. One doesn't have to be too impressed by food security arguments to realise that there is a case for having a good local supply of healthy fruit and vegetables.
Congratulations to Judith Evans who is a new FT reporter covering agriculture but has done some excellent reports. I have spoken to her and she asks good questions.
No comments:
Post a Comment