Migrant workers 'vital' in UK agriculture industry

Employing migrant workers will continue to be a necessity for the farming sector in the east of England in the coming years, a new BBC programme has claimed.

Last night (February 24th), the BBC screened The Day the Immigrants Left, a show in which unemployed British workers were give the chance to do the jobs which have been ably undertaken by migrant workers in recent years.

The result was that the majority of the UK workers could not cope with the demands of the jobs which foreign workers could do easily.

It sparked claims that British workers are simply not willing to do the jobs which foreign staff are filling and excelling in.

Asparagus farmer Victor Aveling, who replaced three migrant workers with Brits as part of the experiment, said UK workers are "turning their noses up" at the roles which foreign staff are happy to fill.

"It's damn hard work and the people I employ earn every penny. They are usually out in the field from 06:00 to 14:00, but it can be until 18:00 GMT to get the field cleared. They earn according to what they pick," he said.

Commenting on the BBC programme, Chris Slay, CEO of Skills Provision, added: "It made you deeply embarrassed to be British with the workshy and inappropriate attitudes expressed, but as someone who uses and supplies a lot of Polish workers it could not have been a better advert for our service."

Posted by Chris Slay