4
THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • MAY 2018
LATEST
NEWS
MPs seek clear
answers on labour
Hope for positive signs of the government’s intention
to introduce some sort of seasonal agricultural workers
scheme for this year weredashed at ameetingof the
Environment, Food andRural Affairs (EFRA) committee at
the endofMarch. Immigrationminister CarolineNokes –
who hadbeen inpost for just threemonths – and farming
minister GeorgeEusticewere repeatedly askedby the
committee’sMPswhether a schemewas planned. But
neither would indicate that onewas being formulated nor
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said they had recognised the industry’s arguments for
a scheme. ”We think it hasmade a case,” he said. “It
is being considered at themoment ingovernment.We
cannot give you adate.”However, he added that Defra
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workers indifferent sectors, over the course of a two-
year period. “Wedonot need towait until the endof the
two years beforedecidingwhat we are going todoon
:(>: aUd^e^ill UV[ ¹ Oe said 0U [Oe fiYs[ sessiVUVM i[s
relaunched inquiry into labour constraints, inFebruary,
the committee heard fromberry and asparagus grower
Christopher Chinn, who alsogave evidence last year,
that his company, Cobrey Farms, had stopped actively
investing in increasedproductiondespite growth in the
market. “There are noUKworkers and no automation,”
he said. “That is all noise around the edges. Some of that
might be there in 20 years’ time, but it is not there for
next year; it is not there in three years.”Defra secretary of
stateMichael Gove is due to appear beforeEFRA shortly.
Committee chairmanNeil Parish said hewas “absolutely
determined that we are not going to export theBritish
agriculture and food industry because there is not enough
labour to run it in this country.”He added: “Wewill make
surewe keepup thepressure.”Meanwhile, theMigration
AdvisoryCommittee (MAC) issued inApril an interim
report on responses to its consultationon the impact
of Brexit on theUK labourmarket.WyevaleNurseries
said that a reduction in the availability of European
migrantswouldbe ‘catastrophic’ for thebusinesswhile
Worcestershire ornamentals nurseryHayloft Plants said its
ten-fold increase in sales over the last 10 yearswouldnot
havebeenpossiblewithout themigrant workers it
employed. Since theBrexit vote, though, it had stopped
aU` siNUifiJaU[ JaWi[al e_WeUdi[\Ye^Oile^ai[iUN MVY
direction fromgovernment.MAC’s full report, with
recommendations, will bepublished inSeptember. A
seasonal agricultural workers schemewas againdebated
in theHouse of Commons, inMarch, whenMPs from
across thepolitical spectrum calledon the government ‘to
bring forwardproposals to allowbusinesses to continue to
access seasonal workers fromEU andnon-EU countries.’
“The need for a scheme has only grownwith time, as has
the support for it,” saidKirsteneHair, ConservativeMP
for Angus.
Lighting specialistmoveson
Photobiologist PhillipDavis leavesStockbridge
;eJOUVlVN`CeU[Ye [OisTVU[O aM[eY fi]e `eaYs a[ [Oe
researchorganisation. Dr Davis joinedSTC towork
on crop light responses, and the new area of LED
lighting inparticular, fundedby the fellowship scheme
backedbyAHDBHorticulture, theEastMallingTrust
andHorticulture TradesAssociation. The fellowship
was establishedbecause of concern about dwindling
expertise in core skills to support the horticulture industry,
as key specialists retired. He subsequently ledmuchof
the lighting research to understandplant responses to
combinations of light wavelengths in the ‘closed’ facility
that STC constructed in 2012, andonuse of LEDs in
tomatoes. Dr Davis leaves to take up an appointment in
industry but says hewill continue towork in theUK.
Flower Trials gathers
60 breeders
The organisers of the 2018
Flower Trials invite you to
blockweek 24 in your diary
now! From12 – 15 June
no less than 60breeding
companies in theWestland
andAalsmeer areas in
Holland and theRheinlandWestfalen area inGermanywill
open their doors to show the latest assortment inpot and
beddingplants togrowers, exporters andbuyers from
across theworld. Some seven thousand visited last year.
An event not tobemissed – read JohnSutton’s preview
startingpage 19.
