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UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 3:15:38 AM

RealityLicks

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quote:

...produce could be left to rot this summer unless more foreign labour is allowed to harvest crops. There is particular concern for fields of soft fruit that are due to ripen in the coming weeks.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/22/food.ruralaffairs

Each summer, thousands of students from eastern Europe arrive in Britain to help harvest the fruit. Their numbers have been progressively cut to pander to the current hysteria over immigration. Pay averages £7/hour and the shortage of locals able to work at that rate and still meet their living costs has not risen in line with the fall in foreign workers' numbers.

The possibility of filthy city urchins going scrumping big-time over the coming months has arisen. So please do not complain about the price of strawberries at Wimbledon this year, simply liken each punnet to the Tiber, foaming with much cream.

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 3:38:45 AM

Politesub53

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Your own link states that students can earn the same, staying at home. I didnt read the word hysteria once, except in your post. Whats being phased out is low skilled immigration from outside the EU, so EU students could still work here if they wished.

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 4:32:23 AM

RealityLicks

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The point is that the wages farmers are able to offer pickers don't attract students/workers from the wealthier countries. The underlying issue is that despite dire warnings on forthcoming price rises for food, farmers going bust because of the parlous nature of a buyers' market, retailers are posting profits like Tesco's - £2bn last year wasn't it? I mean, "Every little helps".

Cutting non-EU immigration means inflation and this is a perfect microcosm of that principle.

to add- wish I'd seen this sooner but am on my way out and will check for any response later.

< Message edited by RealityLicks -- 4/22/2008 4:33:15 AM >

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 6:02:45 AM

veronicaverrai

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I just would like to point out that the article is incorrect in stating that students can make the same amount as they do in their home country. In Bulgaria the average monthly salary is still about EU300. Nowhere near 7 pounds/ hr.

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 6:06:43 AM

meatcleaver

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I don't care what they leave in the field as long as they get the Cox's Pippins picked!

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 6:15:50 AM

kittinSol

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What about the hops??? Who's doing the hop picking? It used to be Kent University students (the poor bastards), but what's going on now?

You're all just a nut short of a fruitcake anyway.

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 6:46:02 AM

seeksfemslave

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How did we ever manage to harvest apples and pears and potatoes too without mass immigration ? Just wonderin'.
As for carrots, they should have been as rare as bananas during WW2

Most of the available Brit labour is on incapacity benefit or is too well qualified, big ironic larf from me, to pick apples.
Thats my guess.

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 6:49:27 AM

seeksfemslave

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quote:

ORIGINAL: kittinSol
What about the hops??? Who's doing the hop picking? It used to be Kent University students (the poor bastards), but what's going on now?
You're all just a nut short of a fruitcake anyway.

Kent University was probably a polytechnic in those days so the students were not too proud too earn themslves a bob or two during the major holidays.

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 6:53:21 AM

kittinSol

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Actually no... Kent was always a university, never a poly.

Why, are you one of these snobs that snub ex-polies? That would be ironic, wouldn't it?:

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 6:55:17 AM

seeksfemslave

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If you keep misinterpreting my posts I shall have to pick your hops, hard. OK?
I'm a plainspeaking working class oik Iyam.
I do like big words tho'.

< Message edited by seeksfemslave -- 4/22/2008 6:56:41 AM >

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 7:00:31 AM

Leatherist

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The paucity if the public in many countries has led to price issues in labor for much too long. It's about time that they all learned that the growers can no longer afford to subsidize thier cheapness.

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 10:01:49 AM

Politesub53

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quote:

ORIGINAL: veronicaverrai

I just would like to point out that the article is incorrect in stating that students can make the same amount as they do in their home country. In Bulgaria the average monthly salary is still about EU300. Nowhere near 7 pounds/ hr.

I think the comment in the article was more to do with countries within the EU already. There was a show on last night which said there is now lots of well paid construction jobs in Poland, so the Poles no longer need to come here to work. The Bulgarians and Rumanians are now coming to do construction work.

Something which needs to be tackled, but isnt, is the lack of proper apprenticeships in the UK.

RL. i agree the farmers should get a proper rate for the crops they grow, supermarkets hold too much of a monopoly here in the UK. Food prices are still rising, Suppliers and workers are not getting the benefits of increased prices though. The whole EU agricultural policy needs looking at.

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RE: UK Fruit Shortage Predicted - 4/22/2008 6:45:41 PM

RealityLicks

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I agree that this problem stems from the CAP. The founding EU states and then Britain all based their early positions on supporting domestic agriculture but its gone on to become a cash cow (ouch) for agribusiness and indirectly the new, more powerful supermarkets. I'm broadly pro-Europe but this is one part of the project which is both wrong-headed and unsustainable.

The EU simply hasn't begun reforming elderly demand side policies to fit today's supply side economics. There are also all the accession issues to resolve. But delaying doing so and basically adding to the existing states' burden is going to put more pressure on at the emerging nation's entry.

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