NFU Fruit Focus forums draw crowds

Session 1

• Amy Gray (NFU Horticulture Adviser)
• Stephanie Maurel (Concordia Chief Executive)
• Laurence Olins (British Summer Fruits Chairman)

NFU Horticulture Adviser, Amy Gray provided an update on the latest results of the NFU's Labour Providers' Survey, which found that there has been a substantial shortfall in seasonal worker availability over the last two months.

The number of seasonal workers coming to work on British farmers in June is down by 13% on what was required, leaving some farms critically short of people to harvest fruit and veg. This follows another shortfall in May where we saw a further 16% deficit.

The proportion of returnees, which form a sizeable and dependable source of workers, has also dropped significantly throughout the first six months of the year, falling from 65% to 31%, a drop of over 50%.

Worker turnover is also high, which so far this year has resulted in at least 3,274 workers (18%) not reaching the end of their contract: an increase from last year when, over the same time period, 15.2% did not reach the end of their contract and compared to 2014 post-SAWS, when the turnover rate was just 10%.

Stephanie Maurel provided the labour providers' perspective, highlighting that this trend is looking to continue into the second half of the year and feeling that this is now the direction of travel.  She highlighted that there had been an increase in demand for their services, reflected in the fact that we have acquired many new growers as customers, often to fill last minute requests where a grower's labour supply had not materialised as expected. She noted that this increased demand from growers was also juxtaposed with an equally clear tightening of the labour supply, demonstrated by the fact that they are around 10% short in supplying the demand for labour. There is mounting and persuasive evidence that government needs to provide answers to an industry that is increasingly struggling to cope.

Laurence Olins talked about the British Summer Fruits survey work launched last month that supported the trends outlined in the NFU Labour Providers' Survey. He also highlighted the importance of government providing answers to an increasingly bleak situation.

Session 2

The second session, Horticulture in a post-CAP landscape, was again chaired by Hayley Campbell-Gibbons (NFU Chief Horticulture Adviser) and considered perspectives from a panel of:

• Tom Keen (NFU EU Exit and International Trade Adviser)
• Chris Hartfield (NFU Senior Plant Health Adviser)
• Jack Ward (British Growers Association)

Tom Keen provided an insight into the inner workings of the Brexit process and the timelines and hurdles that the UK will have to face in its negotiations with the EU during this lengthy process. He looked at the Great Repeal Bill and what this means for British growers.

Chris Hartfield explored the challenges of changing a crop protection legislative system that is arguably not fit for purpose in the UK. He recognised the benefits of having a competent authority that is so well-respected around Europe for its fast and efficient authorisation process in the Brexit negotiations and the potential for speedier access to products going forwards, but also the need to CRD to be more pragmatic and receptive to the industry's needs once we leave the EU.

Jack Ward then launched a British Growers Association report calling for the Producer Organisation (PO) scheme to be saved when Britain leaves the EU to help British growers stay competitive. There have been concerns in the industry that the scheme, through which growers group together and receive match-funding support from government, will be abolished come March 2019.

In a bid to prevent this from happening, British Growers, together with Savills, have released a report urging government to retain PO investment, by highlighting the benefits it has brought to the fresh produce industry.

These include giving growers confidence to invest; helping improve productivity; improving production planning; facilitating investment in the latest technology and varieties; and encouraged the use of environmentally sound practices.

After the sessions, the NFU Comms team caught up with NFU Chief Horticulture and Potatoes Adviser, Hayley Campbell Gibbons to give an overview of the day.

Meanwhile, Amy Gray was being interviewed on the issues the industry is facing on access to seasonal labour.