Growing Queensland’s online agri-food sales capability

The Palaszczuk Government is helping Ipswich and Toowoomba business to upskill producers and suppliers in e-commerce and support agriculture jobs. Member for Ipswich Jennifer…

More absenteeism and 55+ year olds, fewer young people in greenhouse horticulture

The proportion of workers aged 55 and over continues to increase, also in greenhouse horticulture. This has been revealed by the fact sheets on safe, healthy, and vital work in the agricultural and green sectors that Stigas has updated. In contrast to the increase in the number of people aged 55 and over…

Thanet Earth

UK: Thanet Earth had to trash £320k of food produce due to lack of workers

A lack of pickers and drivers has led to Birchington-based Thanet Earth ‘trashing’ £320,000 worth of produce in just three weeks, North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale told Parliament yesterday. Thanet Earth generated its first crop of cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers in 2009 and formed a partnership with…

Market introduction for tomato leaf-cutting robot Kompano

Remember Kompano, the autonomous, fully automated leaf-cutting robot for tomato crops introduced by Priva a couple of years ago? Well, it's ready for it's market introduction. Priva will introduce Kompano on September the 28th during the Greentech. "The Kompano is the first robot on the market that can…

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Labor shortage and covid threaten Australia's "record-size" harvest

Australia’s agricultural sector is set for a record $73bn year but labor shortages and border restrictions are threatening farmers’ ability to deliver on the promise of a bumper harvest. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics and Sciences released its agricultural overview report…

Ai-Ping Hu

The future of peach harvesting

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has developed an intelligent robot that is designed to handle the human-based tasks of thinning and pruning peach trees, which could result in significant cost savings for peach farms in Georgia.    "Most folks are familiar with the harvesting of fruit and picking it up at the market," said Ai-Ping Hu,…

16,000 workers from 37 countries flew in for UK’s 2021 season

Due to a shortage of British and eastern European workers, the number of fruit pickers coming into the UK from abroad has more than doubled this year. More than 16,000…

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Streamlined pacific Australia labor mobility to address industry needs

The Australian Fresh Produce Alliance (AFPA) welcomes the Morrison Government’s announcement of the first stage of reforms to Australia’s labor mobility programs – the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) and the Seasonal Worker Program (SWP). The reforms announced support greater alignment between the PLS and…

Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP

Can "cobots" transform the agriculture industry?

Today, living in the era of robotic technologies and automation fosters a heightening interest in agri-tech. Cobots remain the fastest-growing segment of industrial automation, projected to grow at a CAGR of 43.4% from 2021 to 2027. However, with the constant rise of cobot usage, existing government…

Philippines: food company adopts greenhouse to create jobs for displaced workers

Century Pacific Food group has become the first company to embrace the government’s adopt-a-farm program that aims to build agricultural farming villages and create jobs for seasonally displaced workers. Century Pacific Food (CNPF) signed an agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to…

Photo by Glenn Lowson / National Post

CAN: The agricultural industry is desperate for workers of all sorts

There’s a global shortage of agricultural workers, from manual labor roles to science and engineering-focused agricultural tech work, and Canada is no different. Everything from agronomists, or experts in soil management and crop production, to veterinarians are needed in Canada and it’s a long-standing…

NZ government looks at curbing reliance on migrant workers

The government of New Zealand is looking at curbing the nation’s reliance on migrant workers as part of post-Covid immigration service changes. The changes include looking at…

UK: Clock House Farm hosted farming roundtable with Helen Grant MP

Clock House Farm, the Kent-based leading berry, top and stone fruit grower recently hosted a farming roundtable, at the company’s Coxheath headquarters, attended by Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone and The Weald and Ben Gibbons, NFU Kent’s South East Regional Advisor. The initiative provided an opportunity…

Indoor positioning system pinpoints positions of plants, people and objects in the greenhouse

A newly introduced indoor positioning solution makes processes in the greenhouse transparent and allows them to take place more efficiently and accurately. CoRanger, introduced by Ridder, is a patented system that can pinpoint the positions of plants, people, and objects in the greenhouse to within 10cm.…

Growers would rather give fruit and vegetables away for free than see it wasted

Farmers hit by a shortage of seasonal workers have resorted to giving produce away for free. Richard Morritt is a York-based raspberry grower who invited in the public after…

Canadian agri sector desperate for workers as well

Canada is in need of everything from agronomists, or experts in soil management and crop production, to veterinarians. Pre-COVID-19 studies showed that primary agriculture…

USDA invests $700 million in grants to provide relief to farm and food workers impacted by COVID-19

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that $700 million in competitive grant funding will be available through the new Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant…

Farmworkers in the US more likely to die from extreme heat

Many people will not know that in the US, extreme heat kills more people each year than floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. An average of 702 heat-related deaths takes place…

AUS: Boosting agricultural innovation with mobile coverage

Farmers and residents in one of Victoria’s most productive horticultural regions will soon have better mobile coverage, allowing them to use new technology to improve their…

Lorry driver strike threat increases supply chain problems

There has been the threat of a strike by lorry drivers at two UK firms supplying the construction industry as well as convenience stores. This threat has raised the prospect…

South Africa sees number of unemployed increase by 584,000 to 7.8 million

According to the latest Statistics SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the number of employed persons dropped by 54,000 in the second quarter of 2021, ending up at 14,9 million.…

Australia: Trucker strike could affect food supplies

Food and fuel supplies could be affected this coming weekend as thousands of truck drivers intend to strike over pay and conditions at a major employer, the transport union…

'Entire world is short-staffed'

Whether it's fruit pickers, slaughterhouse workers, truckers, warehouse operators, chefs or waiters, the global food ecosystem is buckling due to a shortage of staff Across the world, a dearth of…

British heavy goods driver says 40% pay rise shows industry's desperation

A survey by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) estimates there is a shortage of about 100,000 drivers. It is affecting all kinds of deliveries. An HGV driver says his 40% pay…

Tesco delivery drivers threaten strike action over pay dispute

Up to 1,500 convenience stores across London and the south east could face delivery shortages if strikes against Tesco over pay disparities between HGV driver bonuses go ahead. Unite the Union said bosses from the supermarket's wholesale division, Booker, were "missing in action" after failing to engage…

Agri employment probably stable, not increasing in South Africa

The South African Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) has cautioned that the apparent increase in the number of agricultural jobs during the second quarter of this…

UK business groups demand action on driver shortage crisis

Against the backdrop of the ongoing shortage of HGV drivers, two of the UK’s biggest business groups, Logistics UK and British Retail Consortium (BRC),  on 22 August 2021 wrote…

Co-op chief says current food shortages are worst he’s ever seen

Staffing problems caused by Covid and Brexit are causing major problems in the UK food industry, as many retailers are having trouble getting products to stores. According to…

Study assesses risk that fruits, vegetables sold in U.S. are products of forced labor

A new study in Nature Food calls attention to the need for better systems to track forced labor in food supply chains. The study — a methodological advance —reports on the…

Students compensate for shortage of migrant workers at Westland growers

Westland employment agencies and nurseries have had great difficulty in finding enough labour migrants of good quality. This is what Martine van der Meer of CombiVliet, grower…

AU: Big workforce provider set to tackle harvest labor shortage

One of Australia's largest operations staff providers is joining the fight to help the Australian grains industry find sufficient skilled harvest labor to get this year's forecast bumper crop harvested. Programmed is a provider of operations and maintenance services across Australia and New Zealand. Its…

Beacon Communications Photos

US (RI): Volunteers help harvest 20,000 pounds of produce at Westbay Farm

Steve Stycos and his fellow farm hands work at Westbay Farm, located on 1351 Centerville Road in Warwick. Stycos, a former member of the Cranston City Council, has been working there 12 years, and some of his dedicated volunteers have stuck around for upwards of 11 years. One of Westbay Farm’s longest…

Photo by Lauren Irwin/News21

"System for US farmworkers is hard to break free from"

As the sun beats down on a family farm in McFarland, California, immigrant workers duck under a leafy canopy of cotton candy grapes for a moment of relief. It’s 5:56 a.m., and temperatures are quickly rising. Draped in cotton from fingers to toes, with only their eyes exposed to the sun, the workers…

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$1M automation system speeds up Elgin County tomato farm

A new tomato processing system at an Elgin County farm is helping one Southwestern Ontario grower solve the industry’s longtime problem of finding enough field workers. DeBackere Farms Inc., which produces field and Roma tomatoes on five hectares southeast of St. Thomas, has invested $1 million in…

New Mexico Dem governor using up to $5M in coronavirus relief to boost farm workers’ pay

The move by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham follows criticism from state Republicans that enhanced unemployment benefits were causing a labor shortage on the state's farms.New…

"Appropriate piece rates are critical to incentivising a motivated harvest workforce"

The Australian Fresh Produce Alliance (AFPA) supports the appropriate application of piece rates to deliver a fair and effective safety net for the remuneration of workers who…

CAN: Celebrating community success with the greenhouse worker vaccination education

The Workplace Wellness for Agri-Food Workers Task force, a collaboration of 16 community partners, are highlighting the success of COVID-19 education and vaccination of…

Could reforms around truck drivers alleviate the shipping crisis?

Growers and shippers are more than open to new ways of getting trucks--and more particularly, truck drivers--on the road following months of skyrocketing transportation rates and limited access to both trucks and drivers. Earlier this month, the American Journal of Transportation reported that the…

UK vegetable producer says labor shortage leads to food wastage

One of the UK’s biggest vegetable producers says it is losing thousands of pounds a week, having to throw away food due to a labor shortage. It concerns Alfred G Pearce, based…

Photo by United Farm Workers

‘Heat is a killer’: Hundreds of thousands of farmworkers are left vulnerable

A sweltering heatwave blanketed Los Angeles and much of the West in recent weeks. When many of us can seek refuge indoors, often in the comfort of air conditioning, those who work outside must continue pushing through the high temperatures.  “We need to recognize heat is a killer and the number one health…

Timor-Leste and nine Pacific countries can fill jobs in agriculture

Timor-Leste workers could be the answer to Australia's farm labour shortageSince the COVID crisis began, Australia has struggled to find enough foreign workers to help harvest…

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"Pacific Islands workers key to address immediate labor shortage"

Increasing the number of workers from the Pacific Islands and increasing Australia’s quarantine capacity are critical in ensuring Australia’s vegetable and potato growers have access to the workers they need to harvest their produce. The call from AUSVEG, the peak industry body for the Australian…

Marketplace.org

"Pandemic highlights poor conditions for some of Canada’s farmworkers"

Leamington, Ontario, is known as the tomato capital of Canada. Dotted with greenhouses that grow everything from cucumbers to cannabis plants, Leamington is also home to a concentration of farmworkers in Canada on temporary agricultural visas. Herby, originally from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia,…

Strawberry growers happy with Queensland worker surge at start of harvest

Queensland Strawberries $100,000 labor lottery initiative has seen more than 4,100 people sign up to work on farms since launching in April. The program is the industry's…

AU: Ensuring high standards key to success of seasonal agricultural worker visa

The Australian Fresh Produce Alliance (AFPA) are calling on the government to implement a trial of the Seasonal Agriculture Worker visa by the end of this year, with a focus…

CAN: New toolkit is "one-stop shop” to prevent COVID-19 outbreak

Get access to agriculture-specific resources, find out how to prevent a COVID outbreak on your farm and how your workers can get tested. This online toolkit aims to be a…

Scottish Employment and Fair Work Minister writes letter calling for more action to tackle labour shortages

On Wednesday, July 21, Richard Lochhead, Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work wrote the following letter to Gillian Keegan MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary…

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

"US needs a national standard to protect workers from heat"

It’s clear that extreme heat is a hazard to lives and livelihoods, even indoors, but job sites have haphazard rules, if any, to deal with it. That’s due in part to the fact that there is no national workplace safety standard for heat. States like California, Minnesota, and Washington do have heat some…

"Tutoring system saves labour"

"Thanks to our efficient, time-saving and cost-effective plant management, greenhouse plants can be kept in excellent condition at all times," says Alessandro Avarino of SIA Sicilia Group. He claims that his guidance system, Ideal Tutor, is the simplest and most cost-effective system for correct plant management in intensive…

Australia: Industry calls on Government to implement Agriculture Visa Trial

The horticulture sector is calling for a trial of the newly announced Seasonal Agriculture Worker visa to commence before year-end. The Australian Fresh Produce Alliance…

Crops left to rot in England as effects from Brexit come into play

As Brexit deters migrants from taking up picking jobs, fruit and vegetables are being left to rot in the UK. Farmers say that restrictions to freedom of movement have had a…

Jordan: Better job opportunities by linking education and industry

The agro-food sector can become an essential source of growth, employment, and entrepreneurship for Jordan's economy. However, to reach the potential and align with modern agro-food chains, it needs well-educated, passionate young entrepreneurs and employees. Skilled young people are also essential for…

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"Indian migrant workers working under appaling circumstances in Italian agriculture"

Marion MacGregor wrote an appalling article about Indian workers in Italian agriculture. Tens of thousands of Indians, mainly Sikhs from the Punjab region, live and work in Italy’s Pontine Marshes. In spite of ongoing efforts to bring attention to the problem, their living circumstances are far from…

Australian farmers protest workers’ pay changes

In Australia, farmers are very upset about plans to change the piece rate pay for picking workers. They argue the costs of fruit and vegetables will skyrocket for consumers.…

"Growers with their own accommodation have an edge when it comes to migrant workers"

At pepper grower Jansen Paprika in Andijk, things went 'fast', the zoning plan did not have to be changed and so there will soon be modular housing units next to the greenhouse. The same thing is going to happen at tulip grower Scheperswijk in nearby Hem, but here it took three years before the go ahead…

'Extended hours for exhausted hauliers won't fix delivery crisis'

A measure to help alleviate the HGV driver shortage crisis by extending their hours is facing fierce criticism from the haulage sector. Transport minister Baroness Vere…

UK food group wants Army assistance to relieve lorry driver crisis

Premier Foods is one of Britain's biggest food companies. It has been calling on the UK government to consider using the army to distribute goods to help relieve a severe shortage of truck drivers. Last week, industry leaders already warned that Britain could face gaps on supermarket shelves this summer…

Spain: Growers arrested for scamming migrant workers

On May 25, the National Police arrested two businessmen from the berry sector in the town of Palos de la Frontera (Huelva), who have been charged with crimes against the…

Faith Cathcart/Staff (file)

Worker advocates renew call for extreme heat rules after Oregon laborer dies

Farmworker advocates are calling on Oregon to adopt emergency rules to protect workers during extreme heat following the death of a Marion County farmworker Saturday.  The male farmworker, who has not been identified, was found unresponsive in the field at the end of his shift at Ernst Nursery and Farms in…

USDA

Ongoing shortage of qualified truck drivers continues to affect trade

The ongoing shortage of qualified truck drivers continues to affect all aspects of life, often in ways consumers would never have anticipated. Temporary delivery issues and associated pump outages have been reported in the week ahead of the holidays in parts of Colorado, the Florida Keys, central Iowa,…

Applying lean and supply chain optimization to nursery operations

As a full-service provider of lean business and supply chain consulting services, FlowVision works with various clients, including multiple nurseries, to optimize processes and reduce labor requirements. With its nursery clients, FlowVision focuses on implementing lean in propagation, production, and…

UK: Minister launches robotics and automation pilot project

Robotics and automation in the agri-food industry could improve productivity, reduce waste, maximize safety and lower costs, Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has said. He made the remarks as he launched a research and development project between CAFRE and the Northern Ireland Technology Centre at Queen’s…

New Zealand orchards seek labor bubble with Covid-free islands

New Zealand fruit growers are still stretched for labor. That is why they are desperately seeking a Pacific bubble for workers as demand for MIQ allocations outstrip supply.…