16,000 workers, flew in from across 37 countries to Britain to pick fruits in 2021. The Home Office has confirmed that the top providers of workers to the UK were Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Moldova.
People who are recruited by horticulture farmers came from as far away as the Philippines, Barbados Nepal, Tajikistan and Kenya. In 2020 about 7000 workers arrived in Britain from 14 countries in 2021, the number has almost doubled. The sharp jump is due to an ongoing struggle to recruit enough fruit and vegetable pickers because some farmers are having to consider scaling back production as crops are left rotten, the Daily Mail reported. In 2019, the UK had introduced seasonal workers with a scheme, which allowed pickers from across any country in the world to come into Britain. The report said the scheme was expanded to allow for 30,000 workers this year before Brexit, and most of them came from Eastern Europe. Amongst them, Bulgarians and Romanians have to return home due to the Covid pandemic, which meant that farmers had to go farther to search for workers. According to the data provided by the Home Office, Ukraine provided the most fruit and vegetable pickers because this year, followed by Russia, Belarus and Moldova.
Food pickers in the UK can earn up to £20, the Times reported. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said, “We continue to work closely with industry to understand labour demand and supply, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements while encouraging employers to make long term investments in the UK domestic workforce and automation energy.”
