Scottish farming industry fails to attract migrant seasonal workers

New research has indicated that Scotland’s farming industry failed to attract a sufficient number of seasonal migrant workers in 2017. Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) report showed that recruitment agencies faced a 15% to 20% rise in demand for seasonal workers.

Additional efforts have been made by the Scottish Government to recruit migrant workers from Romania and Bulgaria but were unsuccessful, experiencing a 10% to 15% shortfall in seasonal labour. Of the migrant workers employed, only 40% said they are certain to return in 2018.

The report concluded that Brexit had ‘undoubtedly affected the confidence of a proportion of workers’ over their ability to return to Scotland to work.

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland warned that the supply of seasonal workers such as fruit and vegetable pickers is falling. This has resulted in high-value crops being left to rot in fields.

The SRUC report said: “Businesses and stakeholders consistently reiterated how access to this workforce is absolutely vital to continuing the current scale of operation of Scotland’s soft fruit and field vegetable businesses due to the lack of a reliable, motivated local labour pool.

“Businesses called for strong leadership and improved clarity around communications on Brexit, including definitive statements on labour movement and potential future visa requirements for migrant workers.”

The Scottish Government’s rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing expressed his concerns that Brexit was harming the Scottish farming industry, saying: “It is vital that the UK Government engages with migrant workers affected by Brexit to ensure that their valid concerns are reflected in ongoing negotiations. They must be reassured that Scotland, and the whole of the UK, remains an open and welcoming place to live and work.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the UK Government noted that it will support the farming industry to promote job opportunities for seasonal, migrant workers coming from Europe, adding:

“Up until the end of the implementation period in December 2020, employers in the agricultural and food processing sectors will be free to recruit EU citizens to fill vacancies and those arriving to work will be able to stay in the UK afterwards. Their rights will be protected in the same way as EU citizens already living here.”

“We are determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, not least for our world-leading food and farming industry which is a key part of our nation’s economic success.”