Ali Capper, executive chair of British Apples and Pears Limited (BAPL), gives his views on the government's response to John Shropshire's independent review on labour shortages in the food supply chain:
"We are delighted with the government response to John Shropshire's independent labour review. At long last, our growers have the labour certainty they need to plan for the future. Our pleas have been answered. Until now, apple and pear growers in the UK have not known from one year to the next whether they would be able to access the seasonal workers they need to pick their crop. This kind of uncertainty has been incredibly stressful and entirely unnecessary.
With a seasonal worker scheme commitment to 2029, we can now plan for the long term. Just as we do when we plant young apple trees.
What is really important for government to understand is that we, as a sector, want to grow – we want to produce more apples and pears – and that means more labour not less. We hope that this government commitment to 2029 is associated with a growing number of workers to support our sector's growth. We would also urge the government to look at extending the visa length from six to nine months to better reflect the reality of the extended fresh produce growing season in the UK.
In terms of this announcement, we also welcome the commitment to robotic picking technologies. This is an incredibly complex area and many technology companies have struggled to create a workable solution. When you're trying to replicate the expert eyes and gentle hands of an experienced fruit picker, it's not easy. However, we are keen to see progress in the technology in this area and the government support could definitely help.
With regards to automation of packhouses, most of our apple and pear growers are already using highly automated processes. However, we definitely welcome the further automation funding the government has promised in this area.
Finally, we want to thank John Shropshire for his thorough and thoughtful Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain. British apple and pear growers in the UK feel we have been heard at last," concludes Capper.
For more information:
Louise Raisbeck
British Apples and Pears
Tel: +44 07966 688063
Email: [email protected]