The Independent UK Farmers are warning they will still need thousands of foreign workers

Farmers are warning they will still need thousands of foreign workers for the UK harvest next year despite a campaign to attract domestic workers. National Farmers Union (NFU) figures, given exclusively to the BBC, reveal only 11% of seasonal workers in the 2020 season were UK residents. That is despite a high profile Pick for Britain campaign during the summer. The NFU now wants government assurances about labour for next year after the Brexit transition period ends. The Horticulture Seasonal Worker Survey covered 244 growers, recruiting more than 30,000 people - equating to nearly half the workforce. The NFU said the worker response was promising, but was not enough to sustain the industry long term.

Vegetable farmer Martin Haines employs 150 seasonal workers in the Cotswolds, picking pumpkins, beans and broccoli.