Nick Marston, chair of British Berry Growers (BBG) has commented on the proposed changes from the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex) to its audit regime (SMETA 7.0) which could require farming and growing businesses to pay for the recruitment and transportation fees of the seasonal workers they employ under the so-called ‘employer pays principal.’
“British berry growers employ thousands of seasonal workers each year to help pick berries and work on our farms. The new SMETA 7.0 auditing requirements could cost the berry industry an extra £60 million per year. That is simply unsustainable and could wipe out the berry sector at a stroke,” warned Nick.
“The new requirements have been introduced without proper consultation and ahead of a BRC (British Retail Consortium) and Defra impact assessment into the workability of the employer pays principle. That assessment is due to be completed in Spring 2025. Right now, there is no clarity on how the supply chain is going to pay for these new requirements, we are very concerned that growers could be forced to foot the bill. A bill they simply cannot afford,” he continued. “This new standard has the potential to cause chaos and stress in the berry industry if introduced without appropriate consultation across the whole supply chain.”
British Berry Growers are calling for the current requirement for the employer to pay for travel and visa costs to be removed from the SEDEX 7.0 audit, and asking the British Retail Consortium to confirm that no action will be taken if suppliers do not meet these targets.
Growers also want to see a fair consultation across the whole supply chain. ‘In future all Farm Packhouse Assurance Schemes should have a mandatory requirement for a proper governance structure which allows for full consultation of all stakeholders that considers all the consequences of the scheme requirements, including both cost and practically,’ commented BBG.
The organisation is also calling for a separate cost line within retailer pricing if the Employer Pays Principal and other standards are (e.g. the increasing cost of travel linked to net zero surcharges) are adopted so that the cost to growers is fully recognised and recompensed.
“The burden of the cost cannot be absorbed by our members without the cost being underwritten by either retailers or the government. There are serious implications for the UK food price inflation and security,” commented Nick.
