Having attended the Conservative Party Conference breakout this week, I’m pleased to report that Michael Gove has promised, in his answer to my question about Producer Organisation (PO) funding after March 2019, to put this issue to the top of his list this week. Let’s hope he has some good news for all those involved in PO’s. We must remember almost 50% of British produced fruit and veg is sold through a PO so it is critical that DEFRA resolve this asap.
However, he was less clear when NFU Horticulture and Potatoes board vice chairman, Derek Wilkinson, asked him to clarify how we recruit from the EU next year in the event of a "no deal”.
Like everyone I am very concerned about the continued labour shortages and there have been reports of significant problems in Kent with at least two large apple and pear growers having no choice but to leave class one apples on the trees to go to waste because they simply do not have the staff to pick the fruit fast enough. These are excellent, well run businesses at their wits end. And whilst the recent announcement on the new seasonal workers pilot is great news, the commitment for only 2,500 people is not enough to stop this happening again next year.
I am also deeply concerned about the direction of travel of the forthcoming immigration policy that the Conservatives have outlined this week at their conference. This extract from the Home Secretary’s speech at conference is very worrying:
“Thanks to the referendum we now have a unique opportunity to reshape our immigration system for the future. A skills-based, single system that is opened up to talent from across the world. A system that doesn’t discriminate between any one region or country. A system based on merit. That judges people not by where they are from, but on what they can do. What people want – and they will get – is control of our own system. With a lower, and sustainable level of net migration. And above all, that has to mean one thing: an end to freedom of movement.”
The prioritisation of high-skilled labour over lower skilled does not reflect the reality of the UK economy and will result in many industries, including farming, being unable to fill vacancies and therefore be forced to contract in size. I will be raising this issue with my MP, with Defra and the Home Office. Please arrange to see your MP and do the same.