2023-09-07 04:00:02
He has just put a new crate of strawberries in the back of the van, is regarding to leave to keep up the pace, but he takes a minute to explain his situation. This young man comes from Kyrgyzstan, where he was director of a water sanitation project for a large development bank. How did he end up picking berries in Herefordshire, West England? “I earn here in a week what I earned in a month at home. I am here for the money. »
In the fields of Christine Snell, who owns with her husband some 160 hectares of plantations of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blackcurrants, new faces have arrived in recent years. With Brexit and the end of the free movement of European workers, it must recruit further, much further. “They now come from countries in “stan”: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan…”, she explains. Central Asia replaces Central Europe to provide the labor needed to pick 1,000 tons of strawberries and run the packaging plant.
At the height of summer, it needs nearly 300 people; in the depths of winter, forty is enough. Most live locally in large caravans for up to six months, the duration of their visa. They receive the minimum wage (10.42 pounds, or 12.10 euros, per hour), to which is added a bonus that can exceed an additional 50% for the most productive, depending on the quantity of fruit picked up.
A subtle hierarchy of nationalities
In the fields, a subtle hierarchy of nationalities has now been established. At the top are Europeans, who arrived before Brexit and got the settled status, which gives them the right to stay in the UK. Many, like Ion Avram, a Romanian who comes to Mme Snell for nineteen years, spend the winter in their country of origin and return each summer, the time of harvest. Under their control are the newcomers… Most do not speak a word of English, which does not simplify communication. “I speak a little Russian, too, and we manage to understand each other in this language”explains Mr. Avram. “It’s hard work, but I come back every year for the money”adds this trained veterinarian, whose 6-year-old son is waiting for him to return to Romania.
British agriculture is facing a severe labor shortage. “Immigrant workers have always been crucial to fill this gap in the food production chain, but finding them is becoming increasingly difficult”alerted, in June, John Shropshire, president of G’s Fresh, a large food group, in a report on the subject submitted to the British government. The United Kingdom, he points out, is not the only country to suffer from this problem: “Our international and European colleagues are facing similar obstacles and are extending their search for workers beyond nearby regions. » But, in addition to 4% unemployment in the UK and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which have caused many employees to distance themselves from work, “reduced access to EU workers contributes to this problem”notes the report.
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