9
While we commend Defra for standing up the Pick for Britain scheme so quickly and...
Conclusion
While we commend Defra for standing up the Pick for Britain scheme so quickly and for promoting it successfully, this cannot hide the fact that it did not achieve what it hoped to do: attract a significant number of British works to pick crops. Given the favourable conditions in which it operated this year, i.e. the pandemic causing significant slack in the labour market coupled with significant media coverage of the need for seasonal labour, it is clear that structural changes are required if seasonal jobs are to appeal to UK workers. While the flexibilities under Universal Credit highlight the support that the Government can give through bringing forward targeted policies, the onus is on businesses to improve the pay and conditions they offer. These changes cannot be achieved overnight, especially when the industry is also facing significant uncertainties caused by the pandemic and the end of the transition period. But more fundamentally, the UK has required migrant seasonal workers since the end of the Second World War, highlighting that UK workers are not attracted to such work—it is simply not realistic to expect UK workers to return to harvesting roles in significant numbers in the short to medium-term, if ever. If there is insufficient seasonal labour, there is a danger that some agricultural companies and others in the food supply chain that rely on it may relocate abroad.
Paragraph Reference
61
Government Response
Not Addressed
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
6.1. As the Government stated in our original submission to this enquiry, producing a single aggregate number for seasonal labourers in the UK is challenging. The varied and temporary nature of seasonal roles, the culture of workers moving between multiple employers across the season, and the multitude of sources which growers utilise when recruiting, provides significant challenges for both government and industry to collect, measure and agree on a single figure. 6.2. The Government will continue making improvements to our understanding of the demand in the food supply chain on an annual basis, making use of all available data from within government, such as HMRC, ONS and Defra survey data, and in collaboration with industry. We will also make use of evaluations and lessons learned from government initiatives such as the Seasonal Workers Pilot and the 2020 ‘Pick for Britain’ campaign which improve our understanding of seasonal recruitment.
Source
Inquiry
Labour in the food supply chain
Report
Third Report - The UK’s new immigration policy and the food supply chain
22 Dec 2020
HC 231
Timeline
Recommendation age
5.4 yrs
Report published
22 Dec 2020