Fruit growers in Scotland are reporting that industry morale is at an all-time low ahead of the picking season due to rising costs and the devaluing of fresh produce by supermarkets which offered customers heavily discounted lines over Easter, well below the costs of production, according to The Scotsman.
Costs include the latest increase to the National Living Wage, which is the last straw for some Scottish growers, who are now shutting their businesses. “We loved what we did,” said Stephen Corrigall, formerly of Leadketty Farm, which recently ceased operations. “But there’s no point killing yourself working and making nothing at the end of it.”
Iain Brown, of Easter Grangemuir farm in Fife, which employs over 100 pickers at peak season, commented, “Unless our customers pay us so we can make a margin, plant orders will drop, and producers won’t grow unless it’s profitable.”
Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association, called for more recognition of the costs facing growers by customer and government. “There is no recognition of the cost of production and the cost of food,” he said.