MP backs post-Brexit move to help horticultural employment - The Evesham Observer

MP backs post-Brexit move to help horticultural employment

Evesham Editorial 13th Sep, 2018   0

HORTICULTURE businesses across Evesham and Pershore will be still be able to employ non EU citizens to work temporarily during their busiest periods after Brexit after the launch of a new Government pilot scheme.

Evesham’s MP Nigel Huddleston welcomed the move which will mean fruit and vegetable farmers will be able to employ migrant workers for seasonal work for a period of up to 6 months and 2,500 workers from outside the EU will be able to come to the UK each year.

The horticultural sector has been suffering from increasing labour shortages recently and farmers across the country have been fearful that the potential loss of access to EU workers following Brexit would have a catastrophic effect on their ability to remain productive and profitable.

Set to begin after the UK leaves the European Union in the spring until December 2020, the project will then be reviewed by the Government who will then consider how best to support the longer-term needs of the farming industry.




Following meetings with local farmers and the NFU (National Farmers’ Union), Mr Huddleston has lobbied ministers on the need to guarantee post-Brexit labour supplies for the farming sector and he has raised the issue in the House of Commons Chamber a number of times.

“I am glad the Government has listened to the concerns about the detrimental impact of labour shortages in the horticultural sector and heeded calls for a seasonal workers scheme to be implemented,” he said.


“Farmers in my constituency have already been negatively impacted by the significant labour pressures in the industry, with many reporting shortages of workers on their farms and increasing proportions of their produce being left unpicked as a result.

“While this is welcome progress, it is just the first step in developing a long term, post-Brexit support strategy for the vital UK farming industry.”

Recruitment

Find a career you'll love with our free career finder website.

Online Editions

Catch up on your local news by reading our e-editions on the Evesham Observer.

Buy Photos

Buy photos online from the Evesham Observer newspaper.

Subscribe

Receive a weekly update to your inbox by signing up to our weekly newsletter.