The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said they need up to 70,000 fruit and vegetable pickers

[boromike85]

If the farmers have 'chosen not to' then why aren't they being stopped from doing this/prosecuted if they do by the government?

Because what they do is "technically legal". It's horrendously exploitative but within the rules. Ask yourself why nobody wants to live in a shipping container with 5 strangers that don't speak their language, for a fee, whilst earning minimum wage and you have the answer as to why they can't find anyone in the UK to do the job.

As I said above. It is really no different to the battery hen vs free range situation. There is nothing legally wrong with treating chickens like that but most people now realise that paying an extra quid for their eggs is a price worth paying for higher welfare farming. This should apply to employees as well. Most people aren't aware it happens though and they just presume locals won't do it because they are lazy.

 

[SmallTown]

What are you on about? We don't need any legislation. Farmers have a shortage of labour, that isn't because there aren't enough people, it's because they won't pay enough and they insist on providing disgusting accommodation (which they also charge for). There isn't anything to rush through. See that job advert I posted before? Instead of saying we pay £8.72ph it could say we pay £10ph. Instead of showing pictures of shipping containers with 6 beds it could say stay in your own accommodation and drive in or we will provide actual accommodation even a shipping container each as a minimum and we won't take a day of your wages per week back for it.

Step back a second and think about why you are ignoring the question and repeating your own nonsense question. Even if this had nothing to do with Brexit and they were locals doing that job then why would you defend what the farmers are doing? I am certain that Mike Ashley would be doing this if he thought he could get away with it and you wouldn't be defending him.

What question am I ignoring? Anymore so than you're ignoring what we are going to do about this situation in January.

 

[davepoland]

Ok I’ll explain it to you as clear as I can, I know brexiteers struggle with coherent thought so I’ll try and be clear:

we are currently having to import fruit pickers from Romania because we don’t have enough.

After January we WONT be able to import them from Romania so we’ll have to use our own. You explain the farmers currently won’t allow that because it’s not cheap labour. My point is the government would have to ensure that COULD happen in January or we’d have no fruit pickers and therefore no fruit.

I just asked we we can’t carry out whatever plan they had to ensure farmers employed Britons post brexit now, when we need it most?

Just import the fruit rather than fruit pickers. Then grow something else which we already import that is not dependent on cheap immigrant Labour.

 

[SmallTown]

Just import the fruit rather than fruit pickers. Then grow something else which we already import that is not dependent on cheap immigrant Labour.

That's not a bad idea, I mean the price of fruit will go up but we already know that Brexit will make us poorer.

So what could we grow?

 

[boromike85]

What question am I ignoring? Anymore so than you're ignoring what we are going to do about this situation in January.

You are ignoring: Why does the government need to be involved? Why should they care that there won't be any fruit? (There will be fruit, it will be imported or farmers will do something to fill the vacancies.)

I have answered the question on what "we" are going to do in January multiple times but you have ignored it. "We" are not going to do anything because "we" don't have a problem.

 

[SmallTown]

You are ignoring: Why does the government need to be involved? Why should they care that there won't be any fruit? (There will be fruit, it will be imported or farmers will do something to fill the vacancies.)

I have answered the question on what "we" are going to do in January multiple times but you have ignored it. "We" are not going to do anything because "we" don't have a problem.

You seem to suggest the farmers are using slave labour? Do you not want the government to do something about that?

How will there just be fruit if we are stopping our current means of farming it? I'd like to believe you but how will this happen? Or is this another brexiteer "hope and dream"?

 

[SmallTown]

You are ignoring: Why does the government need to be involved? Why should they care that there won't be any fruit? (There will be fruit, it will be imported or farmers will do something to fill the vacancies.)

I have answered the question on what "we" are going to do in January multiple times but you have ignored it. "We" are not going to do anything because "we" don't have a problem.

Oh and thanks for admitting that you know the government won't care if we are eating healthy foods. We kind of know this already about this government. At least you can admit it

 

[Randy]

These folk envisioning a perfect paradise utopia crack me up. Farmers don't force these foreign seasonal workers to come work them.

They are farmers, not the F***ing Taliban.

 

[ticker_tape]

Be OK if these Govt departments enforced the employment laws on these farmers, we have enough low grade clerks to do the job too. More action less blather.

 

[boromike85]

You seem to suggest the farmers are using slave labour? Do you not want the government to do something about that?

How will there just be fruit if we are stopping our current means of farming it? I'd like to believe you but how will this happen? Or is this another brexiteer "hope and dream"?

You are literally a moron. There will still be fruit the same way your house will still get cleaned. They'll pay the going rate to get it done.

Oh and thanks for admitting that you know the government won't care if we are eating healthy foods. We kind of know this already about this government. At least you can admit it

There is currently no requirement to eat fruit or vegetables. It's not the government's job to police what we eat. If people want fruit and veg they will pay for it. Any more straws you want to clutch at?

 

[ticker_tape]

Afraid it is to Police what we eat, where it was grown and how it gets to our table. Surely we have enough plodders with citation certificates to police things.

 

[SmallTown]

You are literally a moron. There will still be fruit the same way your house will still get cleaned. They'll pay the going rate to get it done.



There is currently no requirement to eat fruit or vegetables. It's not the government's job to police what we eat. If people want fruit and veg they will pay for it. Any more straws you want to clutch at?

So, you're admitting there is no Brexit plan then, with regards to the food supply chain.

That's extremely worrying but at least you do admit it.

 

[ticker_tape]

Borisette

 

[asredastheycome]

Don't have a lot of sympathy with the Farmers to be honest. If they had paid decent wages in the past they would fill these positions now. I can only assume they are not offering a decent wage to those they have tried to recruit from this country during this pandemic. Or is it other reasons stopping it. Pay decent wages if prices go up so be it. People will either pay extra or they won't. I agreed with what Boromike85 posted(see below) but he was branded having "A predictable UKIP style cynical take on things. " but what he said has been going on for years and its naive to think otherwise. I don't suppose he is UKIP or a rwnj and neither am I.

"Of course they are badly needed because they will only pay the absolute minimum and they won't accept people driving in. They want them living on site so they can claim back half of the pittance they pay in "accommodation" costs. They want people who can't speak the language and don't know the system so they won't get reported for breaking every rule in the book. "

 

[SmallTown]

Don't have a lot of sympathy with the Farmers to be honest. If they had paid decent wages in the past they would fill these positions now. I can only assume they are not offering a decent wage to those they have tried to recruit from this country during this pandemic. Or is it other reasons stopping it. Pay decent wages if prices go up so be it. People will either pay extra or they won't. I agreed with what Boromike85 posted(see below) but he was branded having "A predictable UKIP style cynical take on things. " but what he said has been going on for years and its naive to think otherwise. I don't suppose he is UKIP or a rwnj and neither am I.

"Of course they are badly needed because they will only pay the absolute minimum and they won't accept people driving in. They want them living on site so they can claim back half of the pittance they pay in "accommodation" costs. They want people who can't speak the language and don't know the system so they won't get reported for breaking every rule in the book. "

Don't have a lot of sympathy with the Farmers to be honest. If they had paid decent wages in the past they would fill these positions now. I can only assume they are not offering a decent wage to those they have tried to recruit from this country during this pandemic. Or is it other reasons stopping it. Pay decent wages if prices go up so be it. People will either pay extra or they won't. I agreed with what Boromike85 posted(see below) but he was branded having "A predictable UKIP style cynical take on things. " but what he said has been going on for years and its naive to think otherwise. I don't suppose he is UKIP or a rwnj and neither am I.

"Of course they are badly needed because they will only pay the absolute minimum and they won't accept people driving in. They want them living on site so they can claim back half of the pittance they pay in "accommodation" costs. They want people who can't speak the language and don't know the system so they won't get reported for breaking every rule in the book. "

No I don't have any sympathy for farmers either. They do kind of supply the food we eat though. I'm simply stunned that Brexiteers just ignore this fact or claim it's not the governments fault. They are actually happy for our food supply to be disrupted due to Brexit. That show's the level of blind faith and hopeless ignorince they have in it.

 

[ticker_tape]

We have lots of wolliebacks near to the farms that could take up these jobs, the farmer will have to put up the price and pay locals more.

They should be getting a better rate than a low grade admin clerk for a days work after all we pay the wages of these people and they dont produce anything bur white paper waste, the pickers on the other hand harvest food its important atm too.

 

[asredastheycome]

No I don't have any sympathy for farmers either. They do kind of supply the food we eat though. I'm simply stunned that Brexiteers just ignore this fact or claim it's not the governments fault. They are actually happy for our food supply to be disrupted due to Brexit. That show's the level of blind faith and hopeless ignorince they have in it.

Did you expect any difference Small Town you must remember some of the comments during Brexit rigmarole.

 

[boromike85]

No I don't have any sympathy for farmers either. They do kind of supply the food we eat though. I'm simply stunned that Brexiteers just ignore this fact or claim it's not the governments fault. They are actually happy for our food supply to be disrupted due to Brexit. That show's the level of blind faith and hopeless ignorince they have in it.

Again you are missing the point. I gave you the benefit of the doubt previously but you have proven yourself to be thick. There is no disruption to the food supply if the farmers change their practices to suit the new situation. It doesn't need a government plan, it doesn't need legislation. They have had plenty of time to plan for next January so why don't the farmers just bring their plans forward? Could it be because ti is more expensive for them?

If the fruit pickers were all UK based, well organised and in a union then do you think they'd be happy accepting these exploitative measures? As asredastheycome pointed out I am neither UKIP or a RWNJ. This is a labour issue. Improving pay and conditions of this industry is a left wing issue. It is the farmers that are practicing right-wing tactics but because it is Brexit related these idiots like SmallTown don't realise which side they are supposed to be on. It is really laughable that they support the exploitative landowners at the expense of the workers just because they are foreign so they can shout about their Brexit grievances without understanding the issue as per usual.

 

[Cooper671]

I wouldn’t worry about it boromike. He’s shown himself up again just like he did when he complained his cleaning bill had gone up and blamed Brexit when it was clear he was happy to have low costs in exchange for cheap foreign labour. Maybe that’s why he’s so anti Brexit as he likes to see slave labour carries out on these shores and he can enjoy the benefit of it

 

[SmallTown]

Did you expect any difference Small Town you must remember some of the comments during Brexit rigmarole.

Yup. I notice he’s still blindly defending brexit and blaming everything but brexit for things.
Still it’s almost wonderfully naive him expecting things will just be fine in January. You’ve got to admire that thoughtless innocence that being a brexiteer brings!