According to a new survey by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), £22 million worth of the 2022 fruit and vegetable harvest has been wasted because of a labour shortage in the first half of the year alone.
Furthermore, as the survey represents around a third of the UK horticulture sector, the NFU estimates that the overall value wasted accumulates to more than £60 million.
The survey, of 199 growers across England and Wales, revealed that 40% of respondents suffered crop losses as a result of labour shortages. 56% of respondents reported a fall in production, and expect a further fall in 2023 of 4.4%.
NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw has said that this is nothing shors of a travesty.
“Quality, nutritious food is being wasted at a time when families across the country are already struggling to make ends meet because of soaring living costs,” he said.
“At the same time, the prolonged dry weather and record temperatures have created a really challenging growing environment for our fruit and veg.
“Every crop is valuable – to the farm business and to the people whose plates they fill. We simply can’t afford to be leaving food unpicked.”
The UK horticultural sector relies heavily on seasonal workers to pick and pack fruit, vegetables and plant crops across the country. Because of post-Brexit visa issues, and then the Covid-19 pandemic and its restrictions on border travel, sourcing these workers became a challenge.
UK farming unions, including the NFU, have lobbied for aid in this regard and the government’s response was the Seasonal Workers Scheme.
The Seasonal Worker visa allows employers in the horticulture sector to source overseas workers to do seasonal work for up to six months through an approved scheme operator.
According to the NFU survey, 63% of the 2022 horticulture labour workforce was recruited through the scheme. Furthermore, farm businesses expect 69% of workers to come through the scheme in 2023.
“With the demand on the Seasonal Workers Scheme expected to increase again next year, it’s vital the scheme has the capacity to facilitate the people the sector needs to pick, pack and process the country’s fruit and vegetables,” said Bradshaw.
“This means increasing the number of visas available to meet the sector’s needs and expanding it to a minimum of a five-year rolling scheme to enable growers to have confidence to invest in their businesses – particularly given growth in the horticultural sector is a government ambition set out in the National Food Strategy.
“This survey has demonstrated just how crucial it is for fruit and veg growers to have access to the workforce they need.
“Expanding the Seasonal Workers Scheme will play a vital role in enabling that access and ensuring we don’t see this devastating level of food waste next year.”
Earlier this month, on August 3, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced an independent review into labour shortages in the food supply chain.
The report and will be published in 2023 and the government response will follow.
“Labour is a key issue for British farmers and farming and this report will give the government vital insight into how to address it in future,” said Environment Secretary George Eustice at the time of announcement.
