Horticulture

Covid-19 has seen a spike in labour costs of up to 15 per cent leaving British growers in an ‘unsustainable’ situation, a new report has revealed.

Three growers are urging their colleagues to complete a ballot to gauge views on the AHDB levy in order to paint a ‘truly representative picture’ for Defra.

The ‘skilled’ agricultural sector has been ranked the ‘best occupation’ for work-life balance during the coronavirus pandemic, a CIPD UK Working Lives survey revealed.

Horticulture chiefs have warned growers will face a steep increase in costs as they struggle to retain and attract workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Farm groups are very focused on trade policy, but their time would be better spent pushing for farmers to get a fairer price for their food, says Cornish lamb and beef farmer Rona Amiss.

With the final take-up of the Pick For Britain scheme patchy, Government must come up with a ‘Plan B’ to ensure growers can continue to access enough labour after Brexit, says Daniel Zeichner, Labour’s Shadow Farming Minister.

An online recruitment platform has restructured its business model to help target the demand for seasonal workers in picking jobs across UK farms.

The British Growers Association (BGA) has called for a massive expansion of the Government’s seasonal agricultural workers’ pilot after the coronavirus pandemic ‘shelved’ the Home Office’s original plans.

NFU’s horticulture and potatoes board chairwoman Alison Capper has warned thousands of pickers are needed to fill ‘peak’ jobs for the harvest season fast approaching.

The Covid-19 nightmare may have handed UK farming an opportunity to resolve a major Brexit threat – loss of EU labour. Let’s make sure we give our new ‘land army’ a good experience this summer, says George Dunn, chief executive of the TFA.