Following talks between DEFRA and farming industry representatives aimed at helping farmers and growers bring together the teams they need for the 2020 harvest, a new website has been launched at www.pickforbritain.org.uk
The aim is to put those who are looking for work on UK farms over the harvest period in touch with recruiters and farmers who have roles to fill. It follows national news that some farms are using charter flights to bring in Eastern European farm workers to help pick this year’s early season crops.
The Pick for Britain website will act as a central hub that will signpost people to the jobs available and provide information about all the different seasonal harvesting roles.
The website has links to the Government’s Find A Job portal to enable individuals to search for jobs by type and location and will also provide links to a wide range of recruitment campaigns organised by labour providers and trade associations.
The website is hosted by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and has been developed in association with DEFRA, the NFU and related organisations.
Industry stakeholders have been asked to post seasonal worker vacancies at www.findajob.dwp.gov.uk, which will ensure a wide reach of potential applicants, including those people who are looking for work as a result of Covid-19 related redundancies or furloughing. The website already has more than 1.6 million registered users.
Details of top fruit and soft fruit growers looking for workers will be shared via the Summer Fruit and British Apples and Pears websites accessible from within the Find A Job section of the Pick for Britain website.