Fruit and veg to run out if farms don't get pickers

[SudokuQueen]

www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/28/fruit-and-veg-will-run-out-unless-britain-charters-planes-to-fly-in-farm-workers-from-eastern-europe

Why do we actually need to fly people in from other countries when there are a ton of people not working now due to corona killing off their jobs?

Unemployment has gone up by tens of thousands in a week. Just a week. It will only increase.

Food pickers are keyworkers so can go out to do this. Why can't we just get the new unemployed to do this? Yeah it might not be the amount of money you were getting before, but I bet its better than benefits.

"there seem to be plenty of people going stir crazy who might rather do some physical labour than sit around."

Indeed - and be paid for it. Students who have no other source of income in the summer are one example.

and the British workers were almost always sent home some after a few hours some after a day or two.. The farmers/managers stating they don't have the work ethic and don't pick as much as the European counterparts

Well what a surprise not! we've been spolit rotten over time, thats why we make feck all in the UK anymore now, ethnic british do not want to do jobs like Taxi driving and the like.

Well under martial law, can't be long now., its pick it or starve you do have a choice!

As long as it's not you or anyone else who thinks it's a great idea but won't be doing it themselves. Who on earth is going to ensure physical distancing and safety of anyone involved.

If we are spreading vitriol, let's not leave the supermarket chains out of this. They won't pay British farmers a living wage for producing food either, they have got us, as consumers, used to buying cheap food so we won't pay a fair price either, so no way are farmers going to pay a living or even minimum wage to workers. It's a race to the bottom and as consumers we are quite happy with that, as long as we are not the ones at the bottom.

I'm surprised there were no conditions attached to furloughed people getting up to £2,500 per month. It would have been easy to say yes you can get up to 80% pay but you have to volunteer to do 80% of your normal working hours at one of these approved jobs. The govt would know the priorities so it could be helping out in a care home, picking fruit and veg, shopping for the housebound or whatever was necessary. Obviously health conditions would need to be considered.

Wouldn't bother me if they got the 80% pay from their previous job and the pay from the picking job as well. It's an incentive to do it then, it's a decent top up on their current pay. The government should make that a clause, if you get a job in one of these key working roles, whether thats picking fruit, working in a supermarket, cleaning hospitals etc you keep your 80% pay and the extra pay you get.

The U.K. do farming in Australia

Off you trot to volunteer to do it then, OP, or your loved ones? Or is it always someone else, students, the unemployed, etc who you think should? Someone else endangers their lives (because social distancing doesn't work in such professions) for the crime of being unemployed. . What a bright idea! You're so clever.

Is it a good idea to be bussing people around the country in big groups, and then forcing them to work in big groups at the moment? I mean, what happened to social distancing?

Who's going to arrange childcare for all these people working 12+ hour days away from home? Who will pay for and organise the transport? Who will make sure the living conditions are safe and sanitary and ensure people can stay 2m apart at all times?

@30daysoflight

As I've said, I'm a keyworker. I can't leave my job. There's thousands though that haven't been so lucky.

If you have no actual suggestions on how to solve this issue, I assume you're happy with rations then or not having fruit or veg?

Otherwise what is your plan?

I assume they would get free childcare throughout under this plan?

Who's going to arrange childcare for all these people working 12+ hour days away from home?

Yes just who?, in EE countries?..

"Those looking for work in the area can do it or have their money stopped ?"

Jesus.

The farmers are controlled by the supermarkets . They can’t pay anymore than they already do or they’d be paying the supermarkets to grow food.
Food prices will have to rise if British people
are to work in the fields again .
I gathered potatoes every year from about 7/8 - 18 until my dad stopped growing them. I remember the year I was 10 gathering two ton boxes of spuds . Quite a feat for a child . I didn’t like it but my goodness it didn’t kill me . It was character building. We are raising a nation of wimps .

@IvinghoeBeacon

Yeah they are keyworkers, they have to.

The pickers can take some of the fruit and veg home with them in payment for their work ?
Those looking for work in the area can do it or have their money stopped ?
There are lots of options . I’ll do it if people are needed in my area . It’s manual labour , it won’t kill anyone .

Lots of options that involve conscription. Of course, it's not needed in your area, but why not volunteer then? Surely with all these options it's essential travel for volunteers like you, who'd be paid in food and not money of course, to get to the farms to pick? After all, it won't kill you. Alas, it's always for someone else, isn't it? The unemployed, students . . . never oneself.

Presumably all the people desperate to get out into the countryside and who didn't seem worried about social distancing then would be up for this... (I'm descending into sarcasm there, for avoidance of doubt - my other posts including volunteering myself if appropriate distancing was in operation were serious).

YANBU and hopefully there will be people out there who will jump at the work, and the chance to earn more than JSA or UC, and also have a legitimate reason to get outside and see other people etc rather than be stuck at home.

I assume they would get free childcare throughout under this plan?

Most childcare places are closed right now.

Years ago children accompanied parents into the fields

@TheArchSorcererofContwaraburg

You're so clever then, what's your solution? I'd love to hear it.

Years ago children accompanied parents into the fields

Nah you couldn't do that now.

There are some childcare places open for keyworkers, couldn't more nurseries be opened for this reason?

Odd agree. They should offer incentives for those who go and pick. Especially as it's mostly summer when kids are off school anyway on the whole so the keyworker benefit there will not apply.

I live on a farm you prat ! I’m already out there doing my bit to feed the nation . I’ll do more if I can.
I’d be agreeable to a doubling of British grown fruit and veg prices in the supermarkets and rationing of fruit and veg too.

Just a small reminder, SudokU, that personal attacks on posters, calling them names or telling them to fuck off or the like, is against Talk Guidelines even if followed with passive aggressive emojis.

So you have loved ones on the front line? That's nice. Most of us have, too, or essential workers. But there's nothing stopping you yourself from volunteering to pick fruit and veg if it's such a great idea for others.