Economics
U.K. Proposes Seasonal Worker Trial for Non-EU Farm Laborers
- Six-month visas to be issued to fruit and vegetable pickers
- Farmers have warned of crops rotting due to labor shortages
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The U.K. will trial a seasonal workers program for fruit and vegetable pickers from outside the European Union next year, the Home Office said, in an attempt to alleviate possible labor shortages faced by one of the industries most affected by Brexit.
An annual 2,500 workers over the age of 18 will be granted six-month visas to come to Britain from next spring to work on fruit and vegetable farms, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Environment Secretary Michael Gove said Thursday in a statement. The program will run through December 2020, to alleviate labor shortages during peak production, they said.