Strawberries unpicked

It seems our Farmers have so much soft fruit that they do not have enough pickers; this is all because the government is pandering to the public who have had enough of foreign workers and illegal immigrants, according to the farmers.

Some of these farmers have done extremely well out of having low cost foreign workers as have the public with very cheap seasonal fruit but surely now the “birds have come to roost” and all of us must pay more. Farmers must pay their workforce more money which will encourage a more local workforce, it was not that long ago that all frit picking was done by English people but over the years we have seen the Mother with her children being thrown off farms because of Health & safety edicts and a benefit system which pays the unemployed to much and discourages them from getting work. The latter can solved very easy if the unemployed refuse to work cut their benefit. Farmers tell the English are to lazy to work, I do not believe that they will not work for a pittance and I know of occasions where English people have been refused a job on farms with preference given to low paid Eastern European workers.. Foreign workers are starting to revolt, they want more money and they want better living condition not shanty towns so the press tell us. What I cannot understand is that Farmers knew they would not get the workforce so why grow so much ?


Martin Clarke Sittingbourne