Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to
ensure that any fruit and vegetables ready for harvest during the
COVID-19 pandemic are harvested.
The Question was considered in a Virtual Proceeding via video
call.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs () (Con)
My Lords, I declare my farming interests as set out in the
register. We are mobilising a British workforce to help farmers.
The Pick for Britain website is a recently launched joint Defra
and industry initiative to support this effort, alongside the
DWP’s Find a Job website, to signpost roles and guidance to
workers and employers. We will continue to work with growers so
that customer demand for excellent British fruit and vegetables
is met.
(CB)
I thank the Minister for his reply. I have seen the website; the
level of publicity is very low at the moment and not many people
know about it. The cheap wages that have been paid over the years
to mostly migrant workers have been what I am prepared to call
“the dirty little secret”. What wages are the Government
considering paying to the army of British people who are going to
be taken on board? What is going to happen to fruit and vegetable
prices in the shops, and how will that impact on families who are
already struggling to eat anything, let alone a healthy diet?
My Lords, there is going to be a more fulsome public-facing
launch of the campaign to highlight the roles available from late
May onwards and to encourage people to apply. Agribusiness must
comply with current UK employment law. As I said in my earlier
reply, we are all very conscious of the nutritional value of
British fruit and vegetables and of the importance of their being
available at a respectable price.
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, what discussions have taken place with the devolved
institutions with a view to sourcing workers who could help to
harvest these perishable commodities, which are of great benefit
to people who might find themselves in food poverty during this
Covid-19 pandemic?
I have asked about the situation in Northern Ireland and DAERA
has said that it will look for its own local solutions. Clearly,
we want to work with the devolved Administrations. Northern
Ireland welcomes the information sharing which we will undertake.
(LD)
My Lords, at a time when we all need healthy, fresh, nutritious
food, what are the Government doing to promote to the British
public the range of employment opportunities available, assisting
growers in harvesting their produce and getting it to market and
on the table at a reasonable price?
My Lords, that is precisely why we have launched Pick for Britain
and the DWP Find a Job website. This will be escalated. We think
that currently, there is sufficient labour on farms, but there
will be a peak in late May and therefore much more work. A
public-facing campaign will be launched so that many more people
are aware of this and of the demand in their local areas.
(Con)
My Lords, in the short term it is vital that all steps be taken
to make sure that crops are planted and picked this year, but has
the Minister seen reports of a huge expansion in horticultural
technology and automation in the United States because President
Trump has curtailed cheap immigrant labour? What can the
Government do to give a big boost to horticultural automation and
technology in this country?
It is important that we advance technology to bring about
improvements and more sustainable production. The
government-funded transforming food production initiative and
sustainable productivity schemes are all about increasing
automation. I was interested to read of Tiptree and the
University of Essex developing a robotic strawberry harvester,
for instance.
(CB)
The Minister referred to customer demand and the health benefits
of consuming fruit and vegetables. What are the Government doing
to encourage the consumption of fruit and vegetables? The 5 A Day
campaign has been in place for the past 20 years, yet the
National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that there has been no
increase in fruit and vegetable consumption over the past 10
years and that it still remains well below the 5-a-day target.
What are the Government going to do now to get people to eat this
wonderful British food?
The noble Lord is right that more needs to be done. We do not eat
enough fruit and vegetables but, at the same time, the Pick for
Britain initiative—and I think we will find much greater
awareness as we reach the peak of the growing season—means that
we can absolutely use this opportunity to encourage the British
consumer to buy and eat this excellent British produce.
(Lab)
My Lords, the Government seem to be relying on an army of
furloughed staff to come forward to pick the UK harvest this
year, but the furlough scheme is currently available only until
the end of June. What will happen when those staff go back to
their original jobs? How can he be confident that we will have
enough pickers now and in the long term? Will there be enough
volunteers and, if not, what is the plan B?
The Pick for Britain website and all that we are doing there is
designed precisely to ensure that the point of the noble
Baroness’s last question does not take place. We are clear that
we want more people to come forward, particularly in their local
areas; we think that students will have an important role to
play. We are asking growers to put their vacancies on the
website, so that there is a much greater range of opportunities.
We will certainly work to ensure that those who continue to be
furloughed—from what I am hearing, there will be waiters, chefs,
hotel staff, students and landscape workers—are able to make a
major contribution to this harvest.
(LD)
My Lords, eastern Europeans account for 70% of the returnee
pickers for one of the UK’s leading producers of berries, based
here in Godalming. What are the Government doing to ensure that a
sufficient number of those skilled pickers are able to travel, so
that they can work alongside the hoped-for increase in UK pickers
once the peak harvest starts at the end of next month?
My Lords, a number of seasonal workers were able to come here
before the virus took hold and they will clearly be important.
But, as I say, we are embarking on the Pick for Britain campaign
and, given the on-farm training that will be provided, asking
people to come forward. We are confident that people will do so.
A lot of interest has been expressed. For instance, the G’s
salads group, one of the largest lettuce and celery producers in
Europe, now has 100 British people working on its asparagus
farms. That is going to move up to 500 British people. We have to
concentrate on this and ensure that we get people to come and
help.
(Con)
My Lords, strong evidence is emerging that shows an alarming link
between death rates from Covid-19 and obesity. Given that we have
the second highest levels of obesity in Europe, after Malta, and
that one in five people now present with a disability in the UK,
does my noble friend agree that we can turn this dreadful crisis
into an opportunity for his department, and for the Government
overall, to prioritise the vital role of our farmers and growers
in producing healthier food—real food—for a healthier nation?
It should always be our aspiration to have a healthy nation and
healthy food. I always champion the production of good British
food, across all sectors, and we need to work on that route ever
more closely.
(GP)
My Lords, one thing that I did when I was Ken Livingstone’s food
adviser was to put together a sustainable strategy for London.
This will of course be relevant to all our cities in the future.
The point was that local food is the best way of feeding a city.
Are the Government perhaps considering expanding allotments, or
encouraging farmers around our big cities to grow slightly
different foods?
This is a very good point. Within UK horticulture, I am
particularly interested in the range of parts of our country that
produce specialised varieties of food. That relationship with
local communities is very strong, which is why I am keen to
ensure that local people come forward when growers put these job
vacancies on the website.
