Ministers ‘worrying about votes’ while crops rot in fields – food industry
2 years, 7 months ago

Ministers ‘worrying about votes’ while crops rot in fields – food industry

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Ministers have been accused of neglecting the farming industry and “worrying about votes tomorrow” after it emerged that labour shortages had left crops rotting in the fields. “We’re a grown-up industry with grown-up people and being nannied by the Home Office is really not good for certainty at any level.” Currently, the seasonal workers scheme provides up to 40,000 six-month visas to bolster the horticulture sector. NFU vice-president David Exwood said: “Farming’s a long-term game – food just doesn’t appear, it’s years in the planning and so you need to be able to plan ahead. “They’re worrying about votes tomorrow and we’re worrying about crops next year, the year after.” According to the union’s survey, growers are bracing for a 4.4% fall in production next year.

Food Workers  worrying  number  crops  sign  shortages  votes  food  workers  labour  industry  fields  scheme  ministers  rot  morning  seasonal

History of this topic

Seasonal UK farm workers: Ministers pressed ahead with migrant visa scheme despite UN experts’ warning
9 months, 4 weeks ago

Seasonal UK farm workers: Ministers pressed ahead with migrant visa scheme despite UN experts’ warning

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. They said that, while the UK government recognises that migrants on the seasonal worker …

Migrant fruit pickers saddled with debts of up to £5,500 to come to UK through government scheme, report finds
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Migrant fruit pickers saddled with debts of up to £5,500 to come to UK through government scheme, report finds

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Migrant fruit pickers coming to the UK to work on …

More migrant fruit pickers will be allowed in the UK if needed, says Rishi Sunak
1 year, 10 months ago

More migrant fruit pickers will be allowed in the UK if needed, says Rishi Sunak

The Independent  

More seasonal fruit pickers will be allowed into the UK if they are needed, Rishi Sunak has said after the Home Secretary pushed for lower migration. For you to plan, we know that you need to know the numbers Rishi Sunak Mr Sunak told the gathering of farmers and other food producers: “We’ve already expanded the seasonal worker visas for …

How the labour squeeze is changing the food we eat
2 years, 9 months ago

How the labour squeeze is changing the food we eat

The Telegraph  

The recent heatwave is only making the situation more tense. That’s your salary for the year gone up in flames.” He adds there is “massive uncertainty about which workers are actually coming and to be honest, you can’t relax until they actually turn up”. Yet Nick Allen from the British Meat Processors Association says many plants are still running “slower …

Farm labour shortage continues despite surge of working holiday visa applications
3 years, 1 month ago

Farm labour shortage continues despite surge of working holiday visa applications

ABC  

Almost all of the foreign backpackers granted a working holiday-maker visa since Australia announced it would lift its border restrictions remain overseas. Key points: AusVeg doesn't expect backpacker numbers to return to their previous levels for some time More than 31,000 working holiday visas have been issued since December The federal government is offering a refund for visa application fees …

ABARES says fruit and vegetable growers productive despite border closures reducing worker numbers
3 years, 4 months ago

ABARES says fruit and vegetable growers productive despite border closures reducing worker numbers

ABC  

Australian farmers produced the same amount of fruit and vegetables last year as they did in 2019 despite international borders being closed and the horticulture industry pleading for more workers, a study has found. Key points: New research has found Australian horticulture farm production remained unchanged, despite international border closures Unions say farmers have overstated need for international workers Agriculture …

Details of new agriculture visa still thin on the ground but industry remains hopeful of meaningful change
3 years, 6 months ago

Details of new agriculture visa still thin on the ground but industry remains hopeful of meaningful change

ABC  

It can take a meat worker almost 15 minutes to produce one steak from a carcass. That's why meat processors, such as farmers, have this week welcomed more detail about the federal government's plan to establish a new visa to permit more foreign workers into Australia. The agriculture visa is intended to create an opportunity for workers in farming, fisheries, …

Agriculture visa will be 'up and running by Christmas', minister says, despite three years without policy advice
3 years, 7 months ago

Agriculture visa will be 'up and running by Christmas', minister says, despite three years without policy advice

ABC  

For almost three years, the federal government sought no bureaucratic advice regarding a major policy commitment to introduce a visa for farm workers, despite the National Party insisting it was one of its top priorities. Key points: The Agriculture Minister was not briefed on development of a farm worker visa from 2018 until June this year No policy work was …

New agricultural visa to include South-East Asian workers but farmers remain unconvinced
3 years, 9 months ago

New agricultural visa to include South-East Asian workers but farmers remain unconvinced

ABC  

A new farm work visa will be offered to residents from 10 South-East Asian countries to help Australian farmers harvest their crops, but the nation's peak farm lobby insists it will only believe it when it sees it. Key points: Australia will establish a new visa to bring in farm workers from 10 ASEAN countries Nationals say support for the …

Growers plead for fresh ideas after $150,000 worth of unpicked food ploughed back into paddocks
4 years, 5 months ago

Growers plead for fresh ideas after $150,000 worth of unpicked food ploughed back into paddocks

ABC  

A North Queensland vegetable grower says she may not plant next year after making the "soul-destroying" decision to plough the last of her 2020 crop back into the ground. Key points: Growers are already experiencing hundreds of labour vacancies across the northern region As the economy reopens, fewer backpacker will choose to work on farms One farmer says she will …

Fruit and vegetable prices to soar by 50 percent as border closures shut out seasonal workers
4 years, 7 months ago

Fruit and vegetable prices to soar by 50 percent as border closures shut out seasonal workers

Daily Mail  

Fruit and vegetable prices are set to soar by as much as 60 per cent as the coronavirus border closures lock out seasonal workers. Fruit and vegetable prices are set to soar by 60 per cent after the coronavirus saw a significant drop in horticultural workers undertaking harvest work Domestic border closures and restrictions also mean the industry cannot use …

Farmers fear worker shortage due to COVID-19 restrictions despite rising unemployment
4 years, 7 months ago

Farmers fear worker shortage due to COVID-19 restrictions despite rising unemployment

ABC  

The Federal Government says short-term farm work is impractical for unemployed Australians, so it is seeking international solutions amid COVID-19 travel restrictions. Key points: Farmers warned of severe labour shortages in coming months due to COVID-19 restrictions Agriculture Minister says unemployed Australians aren't a practical replacement for foreign workers Australia's unemployment is set to reach 10 per cent The farm …

‘Clueless’: Priti Patel claims 8.5m people could fill workforce gaps created by new immigration plan
5 years, 1 month ago

‘Clueless’: Priti Patel claims 8.5m people could fill workforce gaps created by new immigration plan

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Priti Patel has been branded “clueless” after claiming that labour shortages …

Farm work for welfare trial labelled a failure, demands for agriculture visa stepped up
6 years, 3 months ago

Farm work for welfare trial labelled a failure, demands for agriculture visa stepped up

ABC  

Influential lobby groups have declared a program to encourage welfare recipients to work on farms a failure, putting new pressure on the Morrison Government to create a dedicated agriculture visa to fix labour shortages in the rural sector. "It's been tracking low since the program was launched and it's consistent with the message we hear from our members — that …

Labour shortages, hours of paperwork and uncertainty lead farmers to push for new 'ag visa'
6 years, 5 months ago

Labour shortages, hours of paperwork and uncertainty lead farmers to push for new 'ag visa'

ABC  

Fruit and vegetable growers say a lack of workers is keeping a lid on industry growth and leaving hundreds of tonnes of fruit at risk of being left on the ground every year. "We are never going to get labour security with an Australian workforce because there is no attraction for young people, there is no career path picking seasonal …

Calls for an overhaul of farm worker visas as unemployed Australians refuse to pick fruit
7 years, 5 months ago

Calls for an overhaul of farm worker visas as unemployed Australians refuse to pick fruit

ABC  

There are renewed calls for an overhaul of farm worker visas, with a trial aimed at getting unemployed people into agriculture attracting lacklustre support. Key points: A trial offering incentives to unemployed people who work on farms has attracted just 14 people The trial was adopted in return for the Nick Xenophon Team's support for backpacker tax changes last year …

Backpacker tax-driven worker slump on SA farms avoided as visa numbers remain steady
7 years, 5 months ago

Backpacker tax-driven worker slump on SA farms avoided as visa numbers remain steady

ABC  

Southern fruit growers seem to have been spared the fallout from the long-running backpacker tax saga as statistics show working holidaymakers are still hitting Australian shores. Australia's horticulture industry was last year left outraged as working holidaymakers faced the prospect of being taxed 32.5 per cent, with the rate eventually reduced to 15 per cent following months of debate. Riverland …

'Brexodus' of migrant workers will leave fruit to rot
7 years, 7 months ago

'Brexodus' of migrant workers will leave fruit to rot

Daily Mail  

Fresh fruit could be left rotting in fields this autumn because migrant workers are staying away from Brexit Britain, it has been claimed. Home Secretary Amber Rudd has commissioned a report on migrant workers, which is due to be published in September next year Most of the 85,000 seasonal workers needed on British farms are recruited from Bulgaria and Romania, …

'Broken' immigration system leaves Californian farmers short of labour
7 years, 7 months ago

'Broken' immigration system leaves Californian farmers short of labour

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “The United States hasn't had major immigration reform since 1986,” said Ryan Jacobsen, executive …

'Horticultural visa' needed to solve Top End labour issues
8 years ago

'Horticultural visa' needed to solve Top End labour issues

ABC  

A special horticulture visa is needed to help solve Northern Territory farmers' labour issues, according to a Top End melon grower. Middle Point melon grower Dave Cormac said every year there were fewer people available during the peak harvest season. Seasonal Worker Program not suited to small farms After struggling to find enough backpackers to pick his melons in the …

Crops dying in US paddocks as farmers struggle to recruit workers
8 years, 8 months ago

Crops dying in US paddocks as farmers struggle to recruit workers

ABC  

United States farmers say delays in receiving foreign workers mean up to a quarter of some crops are dying in paddocks unharvested. Farmers want an overhaul of foreign farm worker visas, but as debate about immigration, Mexicans and a great southern wall rage ahead of November's presidential election, their campaign has fallen off the political radar. "Our unemployment rate in …

Seasonal farm workers receiving less than $10 a week after deductions, investigation reveals
9 years, 1 month ago

Seasonal farm workers receiving less than $10 a week after deductions, investigation reveals

ABC  

A group of Pacific islanders are being paid less than $10 a week after deductions to pick fruit and vegetables on Australian farms by a company that Key points: Workers part of Department of Employment's Seasonal Worker Program Workers thought they would earn hundreds a week, many intended on sending money home Owner of employer told workers: "If I terminate …

Inquiry told expanded seasonal worker program could boost food production and exports
9 years, 4 months ago

Inquiry told expanded seasonal worker program could boost food production and exports

ABC  

Queensland's peak horticulture industry group has told a federal inquiry into the Seasonal Worker Program that its expansion could help growers increase food production and capitalise on new export markets. "The particular attractive element of the seasonal worker program I suppose is it's designed for one thing and one thing only, and that is for those workers to come to …

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