As summer draws ever nearer to British shores, the farming industry is under increasing pressure to find workers to pick their soft fruits. For the first time in a decade, a shortage of seasonal labourers means that thousands of tonnes of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are likely to be left to rot in the fields.

Harsher immigration policy
Under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS), farmers in the UK used to be able to hire temporary workers from all over Europe and they usually came in the form of students looking for work and travel during their summer holidays. Since new restrictions in immigration policy have been brought in, growers are only permitted to employ workers from EU member states, ruling out citizens of countries such as the Ukraine and Russia.

In recent years, the UK saw a large influx of eastern European workers who took up many of the lower-paid, low-skilled jobs that the Brits didn't favour. In another disastrous turn of events for the UK, these people are now beginning to return home due to favourable economic climates on home turf.

No financial incentives
Members of the A8 states of Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are now finding that Britain isn't the most attractive place to work anymore. Due to to the fall in the pound and strengthening of eastern European currencies, they would actually be able to earn more money at home. Also, with tourism on the rise in such countries, young people are able to gain employment in less back-breaking jobs, such as in restaurants and hotels.

Government not backing down
Thus, the UK soft-fruit industry appears to be in a precarious position state and it is likely that supermarkets will source the bulk of their fruit from countries such as the Netherlands. Even though it is clearly becoming a national crisis, the British government says it won't be changing the rules any time soon and view this change as important to its tighter immigration policy.

In 2007, a spokesperson for the home office said, "A spokesman for the Home Office said: "We are phasing out low-skilled migration from outside the EU for the foreseeable future because we think businesses should hire those close to home first. Some people have told us our immigration reforms are too draconian, but we think they're right for Britain."

In response to this, farmers argue that very few of their workers attempt to stay on after the picking season, as they have studying to do back at home and are not looking to settle permanently. Thus, it is not so much the problem of mass immigration as it is being painted to be.

Richard Hirst, chairman of the National Farmers Union's horticulture board, said: "We are looking at some big shortages. The crunch will come in the next two or three weeks when the soft fruit season starts in earnest. We are aware that growers have not been getting the numbers of pickers that they wanted and the result will be people will have crops out there that they won't be able to harvest."