Shortage of labour discussed as Bognor MP meets National Farmers Union

The shortage of labour on farms throughout the county was one of the major items on the agenda when Bognor Regis MP Nick Gibb met representatives from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) last week.

By Connor Gormley

Published 27th Sep 2021, 17:53 BST

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The meeting took place on Friday (September 24) and representatives from NFU South East took pains to emphasise the ‘urgent’ need for a Covid recovery visa scheme to relieve labour shortages in the region.

Barfoots, a multinational vegetable grower based in Pagham, and Langmead Farms, based in Bognor, met with Nick Gibb, Conservative MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton to explain the issue.

“It was a productive meeting,” said Sussex NFU advisor Romy Jackson. “We had a good discussion about the reasons for the shortage of labour on fresh produce farms, with Europeans returning home. The MP appeared to grasp the real need within horticulture for a Covid recovery visa scheme to help our growers pick, pack and process produce.”

The NFU has since secured a seasonal scheme to cover the processing of poultry ahead of the busy Christmas period.