The Home Office is being told to expand its seasonal workers’ scheme, as local people “don’t want to do the work”.
Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, says the UK Government’s seasonal worker scheme needs to allow at least 70,000 foreign nationals in every single year to help cope with demand.
This comes as Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee looks into what can be done to tackle labour shortages in farming, agriculture and horticulture.
Home Office scheme ‘totally inadequate’
Mr Wishart says labour shortages in these sectors are “primarily caused” by Brexit, but adds the current scheme is “totally inadequate”.
He said: “In the past we had a pool of workers able to come from 20-odd countries, and now that’s a route denied to growers and agriculture businesses.
“The seasonal worker scheme allows a few thousand people to come in but it is totally inadequate in terms of numbers, so they need to boost that scheme.”
He claimed the farmers’ union says 70,000 workers are needed but only 30,000 come in.
“We have got to get the government committed to a scheme so farm businesses know they can plan for future seasons,” he said.
Farmers ‘at wits end’ with local recruitment
Mr Wishart added the expansion of the scheme is needed because local people living in Scotland don’t want to take up work that is not long-term.
He said: “We know in areas like Perthshire and other parts where there is the soft fruit sectors, they are all in relatively affluent areas where there is not a great pool of labour to soak up local people.
Fantastic trip to farm businesses across Perthshire with the @CommonsScotAffs. Grateful to Glendoick for being great hosts. Changes to seasonal work rules top of the agenda. pic.twitter.com/bxAhyJcNwl
— Pete Wishart (@PeteWishart) February 28, 2022
“Several initiatives have been tried in the last few years to get people interested.
“There was ‘Pick for Britain’, which was disastrous – hardly anyone came forward.
“Farmers are at their wits end with local recruitment and have tried several initiatives that haven’t worked.”
Mr Wishart said young people are looking at long-term careers and avoiding seasonal work.
“There are things we must do to make work, employment and jobs in this sector more attractive,” he said.
Businesses changing the way of working
Mr Wishart made the comments while on a Scottish Affairs Committee visit to Glendoick Garden Centre in Perthshire.
Heather Borderie, operations director at the garden centre, say they are having to change the way they recruit staff because of the labour shortages.
She said: “The business has had to evolve – I spend a lot of my time now recruiting and retaining staff.
“It is really difficult.
“We are now looking at things like apprenticeship schemes and what that would involve, and we have not had to look at that before.
“So we are re-learning and trying to think of a different way of working.
“We are having to look at recruitment in a completely different way now.”
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
Farming at risk as Home Office refuses to confirm seasonal worker scheme for 2022