‘Foretaste’ of Brexit: Virus cuts off much of UK farm labor

 Britain’s fruit and vegetable farmers have l ong dreed ir country’s exit from European Union , worrying that it would keep out tens of thousands of Eastern European workers who come every year to pick produce.

w, coronavirus pandemic has brought that feared future to present: Travel restrictions imposed to slow virus’ spre are blocking laborers just as harvest season for lettuces and berries begins in earnest.

In June, 1 million hes of lettuce will need to be picked in Britain every day, n trimmed and transported to supermarkets — all without bruising and before y wilt. It takes experience and a lot of hands.

Without necessary workforce, crops could be left to rot and growers may eventually decide to move some of ir operations overseas, farmers warn.

“It may be a foretaste of what next year will look like,” said Jack Ward, chief executive of British Growers Association. “Except that if ecomy picks up again, we’ll get to situation where re isn’t even unemployment to make good shortfall of people coming from Eastern Europe. We’ll have to move production to where workers are.”

Britain — which grows over 50% of its vegetables and just under 20% of fruit — is heavily reliant on seasonal farm workers from abro. An estimated 70,000 to 90,000 people are needed between April and October each year to plant, pick and pack produce. overwhelming majority come from Eastern Europe, most just for season before returning home. Britons make up just 1% of workers.

Many of migrants from EU states Romania, Bulgaria and Poland return year after year, and are highly valued by farmers for ir skill and speed.

But with most flights grounded, only about a third of migrant workers who would rmally be in Britain are here, according to Environment Secretary George Eustice.

“rmally we would have 12 to 16 Polish workers here in spring. Only four of our team me it, and y arrived before lockdown,” said Ali Capper, who grows apples and hops — a key ingredient for beer — with her husband at ir family farm in Worcestershire, western England. “For harvest in September we will need about 70 people. I don’t kw where y’re going to come from at moment.”

problem is most urgent for asparagus and lettuce farmers, whose crops are rey for harvest about w. One large sal producer, G’s Growers, resorted to booking a 40,000-pound ($49,000) charter flight to fly in 150 Romanian workers in April to pick vegetables and help train less experienced recruits.

company that operated that flight said it’s fielded many similar calls from or British farms desperate for labor. Since mid-April, Air Charter Service has flown in 1,200 passengers from Romania to meet needs of farms, said Matt Purton, director of commercial jets for company.

Britain’s government says it is acutely aware of problem, and has expanded a temporary workers program to allow 10,000 migrants from outside EU — mainly from Ukraine, Russia and Moldova — to work on British farms.

But air travel remains difficult and often expensive, and it’s unclear how many have arrived under that program. Even if it reached its goal, that would still leave farms tens of thousands of workers short, so government also heed a “Pick for Britain” hiring campaign in a bid to attract Britons to farms. Officials have urged millions of people who have been furloughed or unemployed during pandemic to help with harvest.

Recruiters say response from Britons has been enthusiastic, but where near solving problem.

Concordia, a leing recruiter of seasonal farm workers, says up to late April, 55,000 people applied for farm positions, but just 150 took up job offers. Many who explicitly rejected roles cited difficulty of traveling to farms or length of contracts as factors that put m off.

Capper, who is also National Farmers’ Union spokeswoman for horticulture, stressed that while she supports hiring British workers, “anyone who suggests that as a solution long term is just t being realistic.”

“It’s hard physical work, it’s temporary, and it’s seasonal,” she said. “You have to be prepared to follow that work around country to different crops and that really doesn’t suit people who need to pay rent or mortg.”

What farmers really need, she said, is clarity from British government about its immigration plans after Dec. 31, when current Brexit transition period ends and, with it, freedom of movement for EU citizens to Britain. Until that date, EU citizens are allowed to travel to and work in Britain without any restrictions, just as y did when U.K. belonged to union. But from 2021, people from bloc seeking to work in Britain will likely need to meet same requirements as any or immigrants.

But rules have t yet been finalized, and that uncertainty is weighing on farmers.

Ward, of British Growers Association, said June lettuce harvest — when pickers need to meet high standards for a very high volume of crop — illustrates why farmers need a reliable workforce.

“You’ve got to get m trimmed, chilled, transported. When you pick one up at retailer it’s got to be perfect,” he said. “Trying to do that with an enthusiastic but relatively inexperienced workforce is, shall we say, difficult.”

With Brexit on horizon, se changes were always coming, but pandemic has me growers confront m sooner — while also trying to plan for long term.

“It’s a total double whammy,” said Capper.