IF THE Church of England is the Conservative party at prayer, then the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is the party at work. Unlike the prelates, however, farmers are already grappling with th
view more IF THE Church of England is the Conservative party at prayer, then the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is the party at work. Unlike the prelates, however, farmers are already grappling with the adverse consequences of the referendum vote last June to leave the European Union. Worryingly for them, Theresa May’s government seems in no rush to help. Concerns are mounting among this core Tory political constituency that agriculture might turn out to be the patsy in the much-touted post-Brexit trade deals. The greatest anxiety for farmers, and the food industry as a whole, is about access to labour. The food-processing industry is dependent on EU migrants; they represent 120,000 of its 400,000 workers. Horticultural and fruit farmers also rely heavily on both permanent and seasonal workers from the rest of the EU, to pick produce from strawberries to apples. They require about 85,000 workers annually to harvest their crops. Alison Capper, an apple farmer in Herefordshire, employs five full-time staff but 70 more seasonally; last year all 70 came from abroad. The NFU claims that the effects of Brexit are already being felt. The percentage of foreign EU workers...Continue reading view less 
