Fruit and veg ‘will run out’ unless Britain charters planes to fly in farm workers from Europe

[Bodd]

I'd like to make two points ..

 

[EFLImpudence]

Get a stick and a penknife.

 

[JP_]

Was listening to the news today, and apparently there have been thousands of people applying for picking jobs as they have found themselves ideally suited to this work as they have just lost there jobs in the entertainment industries (festivals etc), however they are complaining they have not received any response from the agencies or farmers etc.

However one agency said that they offered 600 jobs and only 90 people accepted the offer

People have to show an interest or the new dole money will stop. None will do the work though.

America tried to get Americans to pick crops. About a million applied. Not a single one lasted a week.

 

[JP_]

And read arrive daft opinion from a local plumber that students who can't go to uni now and waitresses and so workers should go picking. Don't people realise that the lockdown will end before the food needs picking? Are people that thick? Why should we expect our future doctors, engineers and teachers to ditch their education and become farm labourers instead ? The labour crisis isn't going to go away, it's going to get worse.

 

[JP_]

"There's nothing you can say to us that [migrant laborers] are rapists or they're lazy," he says. "We know the work they do. And they do it all their lives, not just one summer for a couple of months. And they raise their families on it. Anyone ever talks bad on them, I always think, 'Keep talking, buddy, because I know what the real deal is.' "

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesal...place-migrant-farmworkers-with-high-schoolers

 

[Bodd]

Jon you make alot of good points. From a farmers point of veiw spending time teaching how to pick with care and spread could be waisted on time wasters.. Yet we are not America and I'm sure there will be ample of young students unemployed and pensioners who would & could be more than happy to work hard and do their bit.

 

[IT Minion]

Jon you make alot of good points. From a farmers point of veiw spending time teaching how to pick with care and spread could be waisted on time wasters.. Yet we are not America and I'm sure there will be ample of young students unemployed and pensioners who would & could be more than happy to work hard and do their bit.

If you could hire someone who's done the job before or someone who's new, has to be taught what to do and hasn't demonstrated that they'll stick with the job for the duration, for the same money, you'd pick the professional too.

There's a lot of inertia in companies, it's often not easy to switch from the way it's always been to an entirely different model. If the seasonal labor market is going to change its it's going to be a painful and slow transition, it doesn't matter if it's due to Covid-19 or Brexit, or both.

The only advantage hiring locals provides is that you might save on transport. But that's only a maybe as the jobs won't be local to where the unemployed people are. Farmers aren't stupid, if they thought it'd be possible and cheaper or easier they'd already be doing it.

 

[Notch7]

veg rotting in the fields due to a lack of EU workers makes for far better reading.

not better reading, just true

A woman on Radio 2 today (or yesterday) told how her daughter applied for one of these picking jobs and was told all the vacancies were filled

so, whats your point.

 

[Notch7]

If you could hire someone who's done the job before or someone who's new, has to be taught what to do and hasn't demonstrated that they'll stick with the job for the duration, for the same money, you'd pick the professional too

its a nightmare employing people, most employers would choose experienced staff where they can -especially for seasonal work because they need people who can hit the ground running, not people that need training.

 

[IT Minion]

The idea that more UK based people may be getting experience doing these jobs is a good one. It will become harder to find and employ EU staff in the years ahead so having more domestic capacity is only a good thing.

 

[JP_]

Economics will win. The likely outcome is farmers won't be able to find enough experienced labour at a price they can afford, so still have to diversify, produce less, or go out of business.

 

[Bodd]

If you could hire someone who's done the job before or someone who's new, has to be taught what to do and hasn't demonstrated that they'll stick with the job for the duration, for the same money, you'd pick the professional too.

There's a lot of inertia in companies, it's often not easy to switch from the way it's always been to an entirely different model. If the seasonal labor market is going to change its it's going to be a painful and slow transition, it doesn't matter if it's due to Covid-19 or Brexit, or both.

The only advantage hiring locals provides is that you might save on transport. But that's only a maybe as the jobs won't be local to where the unemployed people are. Farmers aren't stupid, if they thought it'd be possible and cheaper or easier they'd already be doing it.

We are in difficult different times and like the rest of us they will have to adjust and work with the tools to hand. I do however agree with you.

 

[fillyboy]

its a nightmare employing people, most employers would choose experienced staff where they can -especially for seasonal work because they need people who can hit the ground running, not people that need training.

How long does it take to train someone to pick a carrot?

 

[Bodd]

How long does it take to train someone to pick a carrot?

There is more to it than that. First that person needs to give a sh¡t. Then they need to stay around long enough. It's hard back breaking work.

 

[fillyboy]

There is more to it than that. First that person needs to give a sh¡t. Then they need to stay around long enough. It's hard back breaking work.

I know.