Are Britons too soft for the Land Army? Only 200 signed up out of 50,000 applicants because most wanted ‘part time roles while they are furloughed’ but farmers need pickers for weeks or at a time
- A staggering 900 have rejected job offers in Britain’s newly-launched Land Army
- And only 6,000 people have completed video interviews for roles on UK farms
- This comes despite a huge surge in interest saw 50,000 applicants registered
- It raises questions on how farmers are going to harvest without foreign workers
Just 200 out of 50,000 applicants have taken up roles picking fruit and vegetables on British farms because most want ‘part-time roles while they are furloughed’.
A staggering 900 have rejected job offers in the Land Army and only about 6,000 have completed a video interview with the Alliance of Ethical Labour Providers.
It raises questions over how farmers are going to reap their crops when the influx of foreign workers usually seen at this time of year has been cut off due to coronavirus.
At least one farm has already got special permission to bring in Romanian workers via a chartered flight on April 16.
The majority of those who responded to calls to join Britain’s Land Army and help harvest rotting crops have now dropped out despite thousands of initial applications (stock image)
Reasons given for rejection included the farm being too far away, an unwillingness to commute and care responsibilities which made full-time work impossible.
But HOPS labour solutions director Sarah Boparan said it was also because furloughed workers want short-term jobs, while farmers need people for weeks.
She told MailOnline: ‘Often people are looking for short term or part time roles while they are furloughed as understandably most people want to be able to return to their usual employment as soon as possible.’
She added employees will be most needed at the end of May and start of June because this is when soft fruits are ready to be picked.
The Government launched its ‘Pick for Britain’ website last week to help farms recruit new workers ahead of the summer season.
Up to 80,000 workers help farmers harvest their crops across the UK, with the vast majority from Eastern Europe.
But the coronavirus pandemic has stopped many of those workers getting to Britain due to travel restrictions.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said on Sunday the international food chain was continuing to ‘work well’.
Environment Secretary George Eustice (pictured) said on Sunday he expected there to be a need to recruit staff in the UK to harvest crops at the start of summer
But he said he expected there to be a need to recruit staff in the UK to harvest crops at the start of summer.
He added: ‘We estimate that probably only about a third of the migrant labour that would normally come to the UK is here, and was probably here before lockdown.
‘We are working with industry to identify an approach that will encourage those millions of furloughed workers in some cases to consider taking a second job, helping get the harvest in in June.’
Greville Richards, managing director of Southern England Farms in west Cornwall, added: ‘I am quite worried that we have had thousands of people apply but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, we will only get tens coming through.
The Alliance of Ethical Labour Providers, which is the main contract supplier to farms, received 50,000 applications but only 6,000 of these then completed a video interview
‘If there are good people out there who want to come, then we’ll take them. It’s hard work and it’s long hours but it’s good money.
‘It gets my back up they say people are coming here on the cheap.’
New recruits are asked to undergo two weeks of self-isolation ahead of the start of a contract, followed by at least two weeks of training before they take on any work.
Figures released last week show that more than 430,000 business had applied for the Government scheme to pay the wages of 3.2million workers.