Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused a shortage of labor for the UK's apple, strawberry andRaspberry farmers, forcing them to recruit migrant workers from nations where the risks of exploitation are greater.
The percentage of Ukrainians who got seasonal visas for farm work in Britain fell last year as the government in Kyiv enlisted people to fight in the war. According to a report by the London-based charity Work Rights Centre, British growers are turning to countries like Tajikistan, Moldova and Nepal to make up the difference, but that may not be as simple as it seems.
"New markets come with new risks, including the risk that workers are charged illegal recruitment fees from local operators, and that they don't know or trust the labor enforcement ecosystems in the UK, so these abuses remain unreported."
The Work Rights Centre suggests that recruiters and the industry do more research on the new markets, hire frontline workers who can speak the native language, and make it clear to applicants that they can report abuses if they see them.
About 20,000 Ukrainians worked on British farms last year, but the president declared martial law after Russia invaded. The shortage of farm labor has been worsened by the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
Food prices already approaching record highs will be put under more pressure by the costs of training new workers from further away. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government is struggling to contain a cost of living crisis caused by soaring costs for fuel and food.
Fewer Ukrainians are being granted visas to work in the United Kingdom.
There is a work rights centre.
The UK is short about 1 million workers when compared with pre-pandemic levels and employers are advertising more vacancies than people are looking for.
According to a survey by the Association of Labour Providers, half of the UK's food growers and manufacturers think it will be hard to find seasonal workers.
British Apples and Pears Executive Chairman Ali Capper was expecting a majority of her workforce to be Ukrainian, but now it is more likely to be 10%. It takes time to train new workers.
It costs more per kilo to pick, and when you're facing inflation, that's not helpful.
The government will increase the number of seasonal-worker visas by 10,000. As harvests dictate, farm hands can stay for as long as six months.
The government will support farmers and growers and make sure they have the support and workforce that they need.
That's not enough for growers. She doesn't have enough workers for her farm because of the harvest in September.
The chairman of the British Berry Growers said the same thing. Operators are increasing recruitment from countries like Romania and Bulgaria, but their plans may be hampered by a 25% increase in costs due to higher packaging and transportation.
He said that less experienced recruits will affect productivity. Berry growers have mounting production costs and labor challenges.
Daryna Krasnolutska assisted.
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