Q1 labour shortage on horticultural farms could be 10% says Defra
Farms in England which employ workers for horticultural production saw on average a 10% shortfall in seasonal labour in the first quarter of 2021, according to Defra’s new quarterly online Labour in Horticulture Survey.
The report said about about 30% of survey respondents needed seasonal labour.
The survey, launched in 2018 but not used in 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic, is still in its development stage but aims to build an accurate long-term picture of labour needs in horticulture.
In the first quarter of 2021,out of the 423 farms with horticulture who responded, 297 had no need for seasonal labour (70%). Of the 126 survey respondents who did need labour, 29% reported a shortfall.