You may have seen one of the NFU’s strap lines, used on various promotional materials, which says “NFUnited, there’s strength in members.” Never is that truer than right now. The NFU has been beating the drum for some time over the critical needs of our sector to secure sufficient seasonal and permanent workers from outside the UK. Recently, the NFU was amongst a delegation of recruitment agencies and businesses employing large numbers of non-UK seasonal workers who met the Agriculture Minister George Eustice. We again made the case clearly and rationally for an interim measure to shore up the supply of workers to the UK in 2018. But the simple fact is that while government fully understands our challenges, they have failed to take any significant action.
When I attended the NFU Fringe at the Conservative Party conference last week and asked the Secretary of State how he would ensure that growers had a seasonal labour scheme for 2018, he replied that he understood why we needed seasonal labour, but asked if I could write to my MP to help impress the message on the Home Office! Disappointing though this response is (why does no-one in government seem capable of taking responsibility for this critical issue?), we have taken him on his word and have produced a template letter for our members to use with their MP’s.
This is where you come in. I would urge all members that have had shortages of labour this year and are having problems recruiting for next year to use this template, fill in the details of your own circumstances and send it to your MP.
In addition, we need as many MP’s as possible to support an Early Day Motion which has been tabled by Stephen Gethins MP – calling on government to recognise “the critical contribution that seasonal workers from across the EU make to the UK farming industry and fresh produce supply network.” The more backing there is behind an EDM from fellow MP’s the greater the hearing it will receive in the House of Commons. So ask your MP to back this motion!
I’m very concerned that the government is waiting for a crisis to happen before it acts. We all now have an important role to get the message through to our MP’s that this is simply not acceptable.