The Covid-19 pandemic has afforded the opportunity to find new solutions to fruit and vegetable harvesting problems posed by immigrant labour supply shortages and the restrictions on labour movement around the U.K. Sustainable solutions to these problems need to address the issues of reliance on migrant labour from abroad, difficulties of the movement of harvest workers around the country and the need for a reliable and readily available sources of workers from year to year. Two possible sources of such labour could form the basis of a solution to these problems:-
Low risk prisoners and young offenders
One potential source of labour for the harvesting of fruit and vegetables could be low risk prisoners and young offenders (LRPAYO). This source of labour could form the basis of a solution which not only help solve the issue of a consistent and available labour supply, but also help and promote the rehabilitation of offenders by offering work opportunities which facilitate re-engage with a working environment and society.
The first main objective of the Prison Reform Trust is reducing unnecessary imprisonment and promoting community solutions to crime. Giving LRPAYO the opportunity of harvesting work neatly fits with this aim and would more broadly help in the rehabilitation of offenders. From a locational and supply perspective, prisons and young offender institutions potentially have a consistent, year on year, supply of labour in the same location. Given these institutions are geographically spread across the country; it would be feasible to deploy the labour force from these institutions to coincide with local harvesting requirements. Harvesting work pays significantly more than offenders could otherwise earn while in prison or an institution which would act as a motivator for those on the scheme. Given the nature of harvesting work, i.e. outside, in the open air and involving physical work, this might well be beneficial for offenders recovering from addiction or mental health issues. Research has shown that exercise is an effective treatment for mental health issues and can serve as a fundamental component to recovery from addiction. Harvesting work would also serve as a platform for the development of transferable employability skills such as timekeeping, communication and teamwork as well as building self-confidence and resilience.
Effectively this work could form the basis of proven work experience which demonstrated to a potential employer that the ex-prisoner or young offender is capable of engaging within a work environment, particularly if accompanied by an employer /scheme reference. Potential criticisms of this scheme might be the charge that prisoners are being used as a source of cheap / forced labour. This criticism is rebutted by the argument that engagement in the scheme from prisoners would be entirely voluntary, with the prison social work/ probation service engaged in identifying potential recruits to the scheme from the prison / young offender’s institutions, but those identified and having the opportunity to engage having the option whether to take part. There is a long tradition of community service sentences being given to offenders as an alternative to prison, and in some sense this would be an extension of that policy.
There is also the risk that those LRPAYO engaged in the scheme might abscond or otherwise cause difficulty whilst engaged in the work. While this risk can never be eliminated, it would be mitigated to a large degree by the close involvement of the prison, probation and prison social work service in such a scheme. In the longer term it might be possible to more fully integrate this scheme into the wider parole system, with perhaps prisoners being released on parole having completed a successful period of engagement with this scheme?
Schoolchildren
Older schoolchildren could form the basis of a workforce to assist with harvesting of fruit and vegetables. The first reaction to this suggestion might be one of concern of child labour and exploitation. In fact children have a long tradition of helping with the harvest. In large parts of Scotland one of the annual school holidays is still referred to as the “tattie” (potato) holiday. For many decades the 2 week “tattie” holiday was a period when children between the ages of 12 and 17 had an annual holiday to help with the harvesting of potatoes. This tradition largely died out as a result of developments in mechanisation which allowed farmers to gather potatoes by machinery. The tradition however still thrives in parts of Scotland.
Recent societal changes in relation to children’s wellbeing would point to the potential benefits of a revival and renewal of children helping with harvesting. Childhood obesity, lack of opportunity to exercise, levels of child poverty, children’s increased “screen time” at the expense of social interaction and physical activity are all factors which would be potentially alleviated by this scheme. In terms of harvesting this proposal have similar advantages to the deployment of prisoners in that a ready source of labour is available in the required location at the required time, although some adjustment to the timing of holidays might be required in different parts of the country.
Recent media coverage of the work of Marcus Radford in relation to school meals during holiday periods points to the need to support families during school holidays. It would be potentially hugely rewarding to give elderly children the opportunity to engage in this work and give them a sense of pride in helping their families as well as themselves. It would help resolve the problem of a midday meals if food was provided on the farm during the working day. Criticism of this being child exploitation is refuted by the scheme being entirely voluntary for children. Much harvesting work is of minimal risk and can be done by older children. The history of this tradition has shown consistently large take up of the scheme amongst older children. In terms of the practicalities of its operation there is a living memory of how it traditionally operates amongst very large number of people still living in the Scottish countryside.
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