Leave voter faces ruin without EU workers

Call this might be helpful. It’s Farmer's Weekly so hardly some ‘leftie’ propaganda sheet

www.fwi.co.uk/news/shocking-extent-of-modern-slavery-in-agriculture-revealed

Yes, I know suziewoozie

Most farmers do want to look after the workers because they want them to return but I realise there are must be some who do not.

Regarding cheap labour for agriculture and for social care, isn't the solution to the problem to pay and train the local people sufficiently so they want to do the work and do it well?

Outdated stereotype^ not sure what is??

Is there any hope the Brexit politicians will change their mind(s) ?

Call I think it’s quite variable what happens. The payment of the minimum wage is one thing - the accommodation - its state and what they are charged for it is quite another. Maybe once the workers get here, they stay for the season as they need the money.

Callistemon I think it's an outdated stereotype.

The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme was abolished in 2013, but needs to be introduced, according to a number in the industry.

This is an article from "The Grocer", which knows a thing or two about fruit picking:

www.thegrocer.co.uk/leader/seasonal-labour-crisis-is-a-serious-threat-to-british-farming/598896.article

So much for the theory of wages being forced upwards, as British people flock to pick fruit! Fruit will be picked by foreigners, from inside and outside the EU - or left to rot.

I don't understand all these cheap labour and slave labour claims.
Wages have to be lawful and accommodation is usually dprovided at a cheap rate.

This is not Spain, where African migrant workers are treated appallingly. The workers would not return willingly to the UK if conditions were so terrible.

Yehbutnobut I looked up a number of sites advertising seasonal fruit picking jobs. You're right. All of them claim that the employers pay at least national minimum wage, with bonuses for longer hours and increased productivity. Another site I found claims that fruit picking is better paid than courier and supermarket work.

Sorry to be such a pedant!

Plethora of clichés!

Turkeys voting for Christmas
A lot of farmers voted leave with their hearts without regard for the downside. They simply did not want to be told what to do by foreigners, despite over the years most have done well.

Smaller vegetable farmers are going to have a tough time if migrant Labour become difficult, larger producers will not be affected as much because they have overseas operations in Europe and North Africa, that they can expand.

The National Farmers Union was solidly remain in their advice, but “you can lead a horse to water, you cannot make him drink”

agricultural wages

Farmers do not want to pay slave labour rates. They too are governed by minimum wage rules.

I think the minimum wage for agricultural labourers is higher than minimum wage, but I’ll have to look that up.

Community orchard?
does anyone know one, or how it works?

growstuff, sorry, you misunderstood. I am saying that if the price of fruit increased due to farmers paying a proper wage, there would be no shortage of foreign workers coming here to pick fruit (who would have short term visas, as happened years ago) and also UK students would do the work. It would also suit parents to work around school hours. The problem is that farmers want to pay slave labour rates and have very long hours, because people want cheap fruit.

What would the going rate be? Do you honestly think that tens of thousands of British people are going to be available for a few months of the year and be willing to relocate? Admittedly, the work is likely to last for more months of the year with glasshouses, but I still can't see it happening, unless people are really desperate - maybe it's the intention that people will be really desperate.

We always used to have seasonal workers visas, and a lot of students used to earn money here in the summer. I think a lot of EU workers were probably offered lower than minimum wage and cash in hand, and tent accommodation so they can be paid less and so on....
Perhaps we should pay the going rate for our fruit, so farmers can pay proper wages to the pickers.

I saw that too Oopsminty, which puzzles me. Presumably the agrifund knows what it's doing and thinks it can get staff from somewhere. I read somewhere that agencies will still be able to employ foreign workers, but I can't find anything about it now. If that's true, the agencies will still be able to pay pittance wages to seasonal workers. The holding company will presumably be registered overseas, so will probably escape British tax.

I've been reading about the probable future of British farming. The general prediction is that small farms won't be sustainable, so will sell out to big agrifunds, which will probably mean that out farms are owned directly or indirectly by Chinese or American investors. I hope I'm wrong.

Which will no doubt have given them sufficient to live on when they can't get workers to pick their fruit...

If you read your link you will see the business is now under the control of a massive agrifund which clearly has grea tfaith in the business

Indeed, Callistomen, but, according to the article I linked to, they sold the greater part of the business. Which will no doubt have given them sufficient to live on when they can't get workers to pick their fruit...

Maizie I think they still own three farms but the operation became huge and I think has been sold on to an agrifund, which happens a lot worldwide.
The same fund has bought up farms in Australia.

Perhaps the family wanted to get back to a more personal, hands-on operation.

Surely apart from Embassies, they’ll all need visas?

Does anybody know the future regulations for foreign companies employing their own staff from abroad?