Scottish soft fruit growers are hopeful they will have enough pickers this season having made extra efforts to recruit workers from Eastern Europe.
Last summer, labour shortages resulted in fruit being left to rot in the fields, withsome producers short of up to 40-50 pickers according to Angus Soft Fruits.
However, this time around some growers are reported to have bypassed recruiters by taking it upon themselves to recruit workers.
As the Scottish soft fruit harvest starts to get underway,The Courierreported that producers are optimistic that enough pickers have committed to travel to meet peak demand in June, although there are concerns that rising flight costs could still cause problems.
The Scottish newspaper reported that Tim and Rob Stockwell ofBarnsmuir Farm in Fife, which employs 400 pickers and began strawberry production this week, travelled to Eastern Europe themselves in search of workers.
To promote the farm, which is part of the Angus Growers group, they gave presentations, advertised in the press, put up posters and offered incentives to workers.
Tim Stockwell toldThe Courier: “Pickers aren’t always trusting of agents in their own country and there are still rogue agents who will overcharge them, so if they can see a genuine job, they’re more likely to come.
“They don’t want to pick strawberries at ground level, so we’ve moved to having 80 per cent of the crop grown on tables, which is a major attraction, and our accommodation is as good as anywhere. We’ve also opened an on-farm shop selling things from their own country.”
Despite these efforts, the grower said cancellations from workers that have pledged to come are a concern.
“We’ve already had a lot cancelled and we’ve replaced them with others, as many of them apply for four or five jobs and then just don’t turn up – it happens quite a lot,” he said
“The key thing is getting the right people who want to work as wages are up almost five per cent to £8.21 an hour. They need to pick enough otherwise costs can be higher than the produce they pick.”
The newspaper also reported that Ross Mitchell, of Castleton Fruit near Laurencekirk in northeast Scotland, has promoted his business in Europe for the coming season.
Under the British government’s pilot Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme, Scottish growers have been allocated a share of 2,500 non-EU migrant workers allowed into the UK.
Barnsmuir Farm has been allocated 15 Ukrainian workers, according toThe Courier, while Castleton Fruit is set to receive 25.
