Furloughed workers don't want to commit to a full season fruit and veg picking, says Lancashire firm

Furloughed workers around the UK have been told they can apply for temporary farm jobs.
Huntapac is a major supplier to UK supermarketsHuntapac is a major supplier to UK supermarkets
Huntapac is a major supplier to UK supermarkets

But it appears that many fruit and vegetable farms are not exactly being overwhelmed with applications from UK workers.

The reason may not be the Brits’ unwillingness to do the hard work, but more their reluctance to commit to a season-long job.

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A campaign to recruit more British seasonal workers was launched last month, amid concerns that travel restrictions imposed as a result of Covid-19 have made it difficult to recruit enough pickers from Eastern Europe, where many have come from in previous years.

And last week fruit and vegetable pickers were flown from Romania to the UK to keep up with demand.

Huntapac, based in Tarleton, near Preston, is a major supplier of vegetables to supermarkets.

It employs more than 500 people across the business, which grows roots crops on sites from Scotland to Suffolk.

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It has vacancies at the moment in agricultural, transport and its packhouse and has seen some interest from furloughed workers.

Finance director Mark Waring said: “Yes we have had some interest, however in the main this interest doesn’t materialise into the candidate taking a position.

“It is unclear as to the reasons for this, however what we are finding is that a lot of furloughed workers are looking for a ‘stop-gap’ and don’t want to commit to an entire season.

“At the moment we are not struggling to fill most vacancies with candidates who are already in the labour pool (without being furloughed) and who want to stay with us for a full season.

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“These workers will always be preferred to somebody who is only looking to commit for three weeks at a time.”

Mr Waring said business had been “strong” in recent weeks, particuarly when customers were stockpiling produce.

He said many workers who could were now working from home, and there had been PPE and social distancing measures introduced for others working as normal.

A plane carrying Romanian workers was chartered by one of the UK’s largest producers of vegetables, G’s Growers, and landed at Stansted Airport on Thursday.

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Up to six flights have reportedly been organised to bring Eastern European farm workers, who traditionally pick much of our fruit and vegetables, to Britain.

The chartered trips have been arranged to help ensure there are experienced workers in the fields alongside new UK recruits, the British Growers Association has suggested.

Meanwhile, the campaign to attract more Uk workers onto farms has been met with “a terrific response.”

And the Government has said that furloughed workers can apply for temporary farm jobs.

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The BGA said in a statement that it had worked in line with advice from Public Health England and that the returning workers would allow teams to “have a percentage of experienced workers, who will help train and keep our new workforce safe”.

Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association, said he expected the “vast majority” of seasonal workers this year would be British but he warned that businesses could not run “on enthusiasm alone.”

He said there had been a “terrific response” to a campaign to recruit more British workers this year.

He said the asparagus season was just getting under way.

The “crunch” will come from May onwards when 35,000 to 40,000 workers are required to pick crops such as lettuce and berries.

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