Somerset fruit farmer says migrant worker fall is risking livelihood

Farmer Cliff Besley is picking the fruit himself because he is unable to hire enough workers

A fruit farmer says a drop in the availability of seasonal migrant workers is risking his livelihood.

Cliff Besley previously used workers from overseas to pick fruit at his farm near Axbridge, Somerset, but has not been able to hire any this year.

He says the problems began last year, ahead of the Brexit vote.

Somerton and Frome MP David Warburton, who campaigned to leave the EU, said steps needed to be taken to attract more people from abroad.

Mr Besley said he was expecting to lose two to three tunnels' worth of strawberries this year, which equates to about 12,500 plants, because British workers were unwilling to do the job.

This equates to some £10,000 in lost revenue.

"You ask any grower - they just don't want to do it," he said.

"The hassle you get for signing on [to claim benefits] and the length of time it takes - they're not going to do it for three or four months."

'Serious problem'

Mr Besley, who used to employ six pickers, has cut the number of plants he grows from 25,000 to 20,000 and is now picking the fruit himself, alongside two other British workers.

Mr Warburton said: "We haven't left the EU yet but there has been a change in perception so people might not feel as welcome as they used to be.

"This is a serious problem in some areas. This is an enormous part of our economy.

"We have to bring workers across. We have to make up the shortfall."

David George, of the National Farmers' Union in the South West, said: "If things don't change in the long term, we are going to see some severe problems.

"The NFU does a review every autumn of the numbers of workers who come and the last time we did that it showed there was a reduction of about a third, about 30%."