A growing staffing crisis could force some farms to close, amid fears over not enough people taking up jobs in the industry as well as the potential impact of Brexit. Stuart Arnold reports

WITH the dust settling on another successful Great Yorkshire Show – the region’s showpiece agricultural event – many farmers will be returning home to grapple with demanding jobs in an industry known for its long hours.

And for some that job will be made even harder simply because they cannot find workers to help complete daily tasks.

County Durham farmer Richard Hewitson advertised a vacancy on his farm and was staggered when it received not one reply.

Meanwhile another farmer, based, near Darlington, says he has been unable to replace a self-employed part-time worker since he retired two years ago.

“The biggest problem facing farming is the lack of people willing to work in the industry,” he says.

“We have a herd of suckler cows and rear their calves on the farm. “So experience of working with beasts would obviously be an advantage, along with common sense, an ability to listen and follow instructions, self-motivation and a willingness to work hard.

“We also have arable crops so tractor work is involved and a driving licence is required. It’s not always Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, you’re out in all weathers and it can be dirty, so whether that puts people off I don’t know.

“Working on a farm isn’t easy, but it is satisfying if you like a challenge and want to be outdoors.”

Becky Wright, a group secretary with the National Farmers Union (NFU) in Darlington, says cries for help are getting louder and warns the worst case scenario is that some smaller farms could close.

“Farmers are desperate for labour, and manual labour in particular is very much needed and in short supply,” she says.

“Agriculture can be a career for life and it can also be well paid in some instances if you are skilled and good at your job. You also don’t need a background in farming.

“Last year one of my members took a plumber on to work on his farm and says it was the best thing he ever did. The plumber himself only intended helping out for a few weeks, but has remained there and says it is a great job.”

Rachael Gillbanks, a regional spokeswoman with the NFU, says continued access to non-UK labour post-Brexit is a “serious issue” as many farming operations, particularly those in the horticultural sector, traditionally rely on migrants.

“I recently spoke to a couple of small dairy farms near each other in Bedale, each of which has a Polish herdsman,” she says.

“In these kind of instances if you lose someone who you can’t then replace you can be talking about 50 per cent of the people working on the farm.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told The Northern Echo that the NFU and the Association of Labour Providers had published a ten point plan which gave advice to farmers about how to better recruit and retain workers.

“Having a skilled workforce in place and attracting young talent into agricultural careers is vital for the future of UK food and farming,” says a spokesman.

“We are working with industry to raise awareness of the career opportunities, including apprenticeships, to attract talented people into the agriculture and food industry.”

Until the end of December 2020 employers in the agricultural and food processing sectors can continue to recruit EU workers, according to Defra.

It says it is working closely with the Home Office to ensure labour needs are met once the UK leaves the EU.

Allison Gill, a customer service leader with JobCentre Plus, says there are a wide range of jobs out there from farmer and fruit picker to administrative roles on larger farm estates.

“There is a perception about pay and entitlements, but the lower end roles are now in line with minimum wage and that brings with it all the entitlements you would have working in any industry,” she says.

“The majority of agricultural sector jobs are advertised through the likes of Farmers Weekly and recruitment agencies.

“But if there are vacancies and people are unable to fill them please come into the JobCentre and have a conversation with us, we have experts in place to help vacancy holders to advertise and we can match potential recruits to jobs by making a note of all of the qualities and skills they are looking for in somebody.”