Hundreds of tons of fruit going to waste as farm labour shortage continues

Ali Capper from Stocks Farm, met with Cllrs Beverley Nielsen, Daniel Walton, Peter Whatley and county councillor Matthew Jenkins to discuss ways farms can get more support.

We have previously reported how fruit and vegetable farms are struggling to hire staff, leading to concerns over food and labour shortages.

Mrs Capper said more needs to be done to help the industry, adding: "There will be over 100 tonnes of apples left in our orchards going to waste this year. Last year we lost 150 tonnes of apples.

"Politics is keeping us short of labour. We rely not on uncontrolled immigrants, but controlled migrants, or seasonal workers who have been working our orchards for many years.

"We’re paying more than National Living Wage, but there is only so far you can inflate wages before you become completely uncompetitive.

"We need to see a doubling in permits for the Seasonal Workers Scheme, but Defra and the Home Office have not yet committed to this scheme for 2022."

Stocks Farm put out job adverts for 70 pickers but only received nine applications.

Of these, only one still wanted a job a week later.

Cllr Nielsen added her support, saying: "People are perhaps not aware that on our doorstep a crisis of major proportions is unravelling, affecting livelihoods, our environment and taking away future opportunity.

"This needs an emergency response or we will core-out Worcestershire’s prized orchards, one of our greatest strengths.

"Indeed the very emblem of our county, the black pear is in jeopardy, as our growers face collapse."

Cllrs Walton and Jenkins both called for more shoppers to buy local and support growers at home.

Cllr Jenkins said: "In a world where food miles matter it does not make sense to import our national fruit from the other side of the world with a much higher carbon footprint when today we can grow, store and sell British and especially Worcestershire, apples and pears to British consumers for 12 months of the year."