As the search for a new Prime Minister continues at the time of going to press, it will delay getting a resolution to the labour shortage crisis in horticulture sector even longer.
With changing government, also comes changing minds, so how will this leave the sector in terms of finding the consistency it is looking for in terms of supply of foreign workers to support year round development of the businesses and the picking of the crops which is obviously year round in the glasshouse sector.
The truth is we have debated this issue for more than a decade without any real change in direction, especially after the removal of the previously successful season workers scheme. As a result, the situation is now at breaking point.
The NFU is about to comment on the latest Defra review into labour shortages within the food supply chain, which is considering the challenges facing food and farming businesses to recruit and retain the labour they require.
It will provide recommendations for the government to tackle labour shortages. Automation, domestic employment and migration routes will be included in the review.
The NFU will hope it will act as a catalyst for government to take action to ensure the food supply chain has the workforce it needs to continue producing, picking, packing and processing high quality, affordable and sustainable food for the nation.
But, despite all it has been told, the government has shown a lack of leadership on this issue for many years and is struggling to deliver a credible alternative to a seasonal workers scheme or whether they just need to put in place another one again.
With other pressing issues looming large such as the cost of living crisis, energy prices and a potential recession on the horizon after significant inflation rises, this issue is once again going to fall down the agenda again if it isn’t dealt with properly and quickly.
These words would have been written many times before, including in this magazine, but the fact it is the subject of this opinion column again suggests the industry has had the results it requires to run sustainable and viable businesses moving forward.
So once again, we ask government to take leadership on this issue, and put in place a mechanism to allow industry to recruit the foreign workers it needs to survive before it is for many, the last time of asking.
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