Medway Liberal Democrats condemn Tories' destructive immigration proposals
The news that the government is to overhaul immigration rules, introducing a points-based system, has caused concern with Medway-based fruit growers, appealing for seasonal workers amid Brexit uncertainty to help with this year's harvest.
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Farming is worth around £5.4 billion to Kent's economy, and supports over 85,000 jobs across the county. There are also now more than 40 brewers in Kent alone, and hops have seen a welcome revival in the 'Garden of England', with the return of organic hops, and other varieties grown locally, which are increasingly popular in craft beer and real ale.
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Alan Bullion, a spokesperson for local Liberal Democrats said "The Tory government has proposed a seasonal agricultural workers scheme of 10,000 a year. Yet the NFU estimate is that the entire UK will need at least 60,000 workers to pick all the fruit and veg crops, of which a third of these will be required in Kent. The current provisions are therefore clearly inadequate" - agriculture policy expert Dr Alan Bullion.
Nationally, responding to Priti Patel's claim that UK staff shortages can be dealt with by training 8.45 million people who are economically inactive, Christine Jardine MP, Liberal Democrat Home Affair spokesperson said:
"This claim is yet more evidence that the Tory Government does not care a jot about people's lives. Tougher targets set out by the government could act as a deterrent to EU nationals.
"Rather than allowing people to travel to the UK and contribute to our economy by working, Priti Patel would rather drag people out of education, out of retirement and out of hospital beds and set them to work.
"What's more, they are unfairly deeming whole sectors 'low skilled' when they are nothing of the sort. Shortages of overseas workers will affect the most vital sectors of our economy and society, not least our health service and social care sector. We can't just pull the plug on our international workforce and expect the country to flourish."
Medway Liberal Democrats will oppose these destructive policies and continue our fight for a fair, effective immigration system that works for our economy and treats everyone with dignity and respect.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
QUOTE: Ian Wright, director general of the UK Food and Drink Federation, described the proposals as 'unworkable'.
A survey by the NFU last year revealed how worker shortages meant fruit was left unpicked and estimated that more than 1,000 tonnes of apples had been left to rot - the equivalent of 16 million apples.
In an on-line audience poll at the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC), the audience were firmly against increased liberalisation that might compromise existing UK food and farm standards. 69% of delegates were concerned that UK welfare and environmental standards might slip in future UK trade deals. Delegates were also pessimistic that UK food exports would grow over the next five years, with only 41% saying yes, to 59% no. 67% of the audience also thought that the EU would continue to be the UK's primary market for farm exports, as against 33% saying the Rest of the World (ROW).
The UK food and drink sector will remain heavily reliant on its trade with the rest of the EU. In the first six months of 2018 alone, global exports of UK food and drink reached £10.68 billion, up 5.1% on 2017, led by growth to the EU27. Growth in exports to EU countries (up 7.3%) outpaced those to non-EU countries (up 1.6%). The top five markets made up over half (52%) of overall food and drink exports, with exports to Ireland alone holding a share of 18.4%.