Ukrainian seasonal workers pick much of Britain’s fruit
That points to a labour crunch this year
NEARLY ALL of the berries eaten in Britain between May and October are home-grown. Of roughly 30,000 seasonal-work visas issued to workers to pick the 2021 harvest, 67% went to Ukrainians and 8% to Russians. This year, many will stay away, not least because most Ukrainian men have been forbidden to leave the country since the Russian invasion. Recruiters are struggling to fill the gap, which means fruit is bound to be wasted. Nearly 8,000 tonnes of berries rotted in 2021 because of a shortage of pickers.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Ukrainian seasonal workers pick much of Britain’s fruit"
From the May 12th 2022 edition
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