Hugh Robertson warns of damage to fruit industry and the rural environment through proposed labour changes.

Hugh will speak in Westminster Hall today on the problems the fruit industry face with the abolition of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme.

Hugh Robertson, the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, will tomorrow highlight the damage that is being done to the fruit industry by labour changes brought in by the current government. The MP, who made his maiden speech on fruit farming, represents a constituency where fruit farming is the dominant type of agriculture and is Secretary to The Parliamentary Fruit Industry Group.

The issue occurs because the government has announced plans to abolish The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) which provides the labour necessary to harvest the fruit. Labour accounts for 40-60% of a fruit farmers cost base and there is already evidence of crops being left to rot due to the labour shortage.

Hugh Robertson said, “The Seasonal Agricultural Scheme has worked fantastically well for many years and provides the labour necessary to pick the crop. Without that labour, the fruit will just decay.

This will have a considerable impact on all the related industries of transport and packing which will be disastrous in an economic downturn. There is also the danger that growers will grub their orchards causing untold damage to the environment.”