The agri-food sector is suffering from a shortage of workers – with fears for a harvest when it is needed the most.
A call is now going out to the unemployed, redundant, students and those looking for work to help feed the nation.
Logistics expert Dr Jonathan Owens said: “It appears the Covid-19 crisis is may well deliver what Brexit did not, a poor harvest. That is if Britons do not answer the 21 century Churchillian call to arms and 'Bring Home Britain’s Harvest' before it rots in the fields.
"Britain’s food production has been very dependent for many years on seasonal migrant labour from the EU, with farmers relying heavily on Eastern European countries for their manual labour. However, since Brexit many of these workers have returned home in their droves, those that remain tell their families there are almost guaranteed jobs here in the Ƶ, but many simply do not want to come.
"Now, they cannot come because of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis and there is simply not enough of them around the country to bring in the harvest."
More than 30 per cent of those working permanently in the agriculture sector are from overseas, and it is thought these figures did not account for seasonal workers.
The leading figure at the University of Salford Business School said: "We must go it alone and gather our own harvest or face the stark possibility of food rationing the longer the global lockdown goes on. If we look back to history, as a nation we used to do this for generations, and it is still in living memory!
"Maintaining and sustaining levels of productivity is crucial especially if the output from the harvest is going to maintain supplies to supermarkets and other food outlets throughout the country. For harvesting speed is a critical performance measure. Getting food products from the ground quickly and with minimal waste, then to the marketplace, in order to maintain a constant supply as not to bring about destabilisation is vital in feeding a nation."
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The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership is signposting people to the various schemes that have been put in place to boost the area’s food and farming workforce. It is regarded as the bread basket of the Ƶ for wheat, with potatoes and produce also high on the growing list.
“Greater Lincolnshire is the food capital of the Ƶ, producing one-eighth of all England’s food,” said Sarah Louise Fairburn, chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Food Board and a director of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP.
"During the pandemic our area has a key role to play in helping to keep food in our shops.
"The last month has seen unprecedented demand for food in our supermarkets and I have seen this at first hand in our business, Fairburn Eggs. I am really proud of how Lincolnshire businesses have responded in helping to keep food on the nation’s shelves.
"However, we cannot be complacent because many of our food chain businesses need extra staff now to manage the increased demand.
"In Lincolnshire we are also the centre of the Ƶ fresh produce sector, and as the peak harvest period for salads and vegetables approaches we will need even more staff from the end of April.”
Many food companies in Greater Lincolnshire, from farms and food processors to distributors and retailers, are now looking to urgently recruit extra staff.
"Whether you are unemployed, someone who has recently been made redundant or a student, our food chain would welcome your help as we work to keep the nation fed through this difficult time," said Sarah Louise.
A number of schemes have been set up to help get more staff into the food chain, with rapid application processes, usually with an online interview and then quick placement in a job.
Fellow of the Agricultural Law Association, Amy Slocombe Smith, believes the current crisis could turn the tide for farmers, and allow the Ƶ to understand their true value to Ƶ Plc and kitchens the nation over.
The Beverley-based senior solicitor for Wilkin Chapman has specialised in the sector for more than seven years.
“I am seeing this in a more positive light,” she said. “There is an opportunity for farmers to feed a nation and this has never been more important.
“It will also help people understand the journey from farm to fork better. People who cannot work in the hospitality industry, in bars, cafes and restaurants, are the people going for the seasonal workers’ jobs - surely this can only be a good thing. This might turn the tide for ‘Buy British’ as people will start to really understand what this means.
“In addition, more people are buying local, but supply chains need to improve so we are not wasting any food. The hashtag on Twitter is #landarmy and that is what it needs to be!”
National schemes which can help you to get jobs in the food industry include:
- This scheme has direct links to Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsburys, Ocado and Staffline, as well as major local employers including 2 Sisters Food Group, Karro and Tulip. Tens of thousands of jobs are available now.
- If you are an employer with surplus staff who need to be redeployed, the LEP is supporting a national initiative from the Food and Drink Federation and Association of Labour Providers. They have jointly set up the portal which connects employers with excess staff to those with shortages.
In the next few days the National Farmers Union is expected to launch its Pick for Britain programme to recruit the workforce needed to bring in the harvest. An extra 70,000 people are needed to harvest crops from late April onwards.
And in the next week the Essential Workers Needed programme is expected to launch which will allow food sector employers who need extra staff to make this known to the team running the SWAP programme, so that supply and demand can be matched.
Updates on and links to all the schemes can be found on the website.
