UK strawberry crop 'under threat'

The UK's strawberry crop may be reduced, the NFU warns

Much of this summer's UK strawberry crop may be left to rot in the field due to a shortage of migrant pickers, the main farmers' union has warned.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) blamed the staffing shortfall on rising standards of living in Poland and other eastern Europe nations.

The NFU said that made workers in those countries less keen to come to the UK.

And it added that other eastern Europe workers were still coming to the UK, only choosing to work in other sectors.

The NFU's chief horticultural advisor Philip Hudson said that the agricultural staffing shortfall was also likely to affect raspberry and salad crops.

"There is a potential for crops to be left unharvested," he said.

"I do not want to scaremonger but our real concern is that the harvest is going to be left in the field which will mean there will be less British produce in the supermarket."

'More permits'

Mr Hudson said that some 13 growers of soft fruit and salad vegetables were facing a 2,400 shortfall of workers on the 4,400 needed.

Yet he added that farmers were working hard to ensure there was not a shortfall of British fruit and vegetable produce.

The NFU said that it wanted an "urgent increase" in the number of Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme permits to help combat the problem in the short term.

These allow non-European Union workers to come to the UK to work in the agricultural sector for the summer period.