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…

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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.…

US (PA): Mushroom farms suffer from severe labor shortage

Sonya Beltran is growing more than enough white button mushrooms on her family’s Pennsylvania farm to supply restaurants seeing a boom in business in the post-pandemic…

"With significant labor shortages on the farm, automation is taking over the agricultural industry"

PlantTape®, an automated transplanting system, announces the promotion of Lance Portman to president and Hunter Smith to vice president of agriculture and sales. The two promotions provide the company with ample support for continued growth within the United States and globally. “Both Lance and Hunter…

Precision data solves efficiency and retention issues

With rising labour costs and shortages, it has become essential to maximise labour efficiency and retain high performing staff. "Growers with a comprehensive and analytical approach are seeing improved staff happiness, employee productivity and higher profit margins," Adam Forbes with My Bumper Crop…

CAN: Fruit and vegetable farmers push back on reports of poor worker housing

Ontario’s fruit and vegetable growers are pushing back on recent allegations of poor housing standards and lax inspections around employer-provided housing for seasonal…

CAN: New Brunswick growers hurt by temporary foreign worker rules

At the end of the first week in May, Tim Livingstone was delighted to see his crew of five seasonal agriculture workers from Mexico finished with their COVID-19 isolation and in the field planting strawberries. The Livingstone family owns Strawberry Hill Farm in Pembroke, N.B., which is a few miles north…