Polish workers now a vital cog in UK farming

MORE than 300 farm workers from Poland have been placed on British farms by one agency alone in the past few months.

But recently-established Central European Staffing is not the only agency filling permanent and temporary jobs.

Enlargement of the European Union, removing the need for special job permits, has brought more than 120,000 Polish workers to the UK so far.

A spokesperson for the Polish Embassy in London said: "It is very difficult to say how many are involved with agriculture; however, it will be a considerable number of those."

Specialist seasonal fruit and vegetable harvesting - jobs with a decreasing appeal to British workers because they mean long hours, hard work and relatively low pay - have brought in increasing numbers of overseas workers in recent years.

But that trend now seems to be extending across UK farming, with Central European Staffing, based in Kent, now advertising in the specialist press that it can provide experienced Polish farm staff including tractor drivers and herdsmen.

Agnes Wrodarczyr of the agency said: "To date we have placed around 300 workers from Poland on farms, but the figure is rising and we are receiving at least 20 applications each week."

All such an immigrant worker is now required to do is register with the Home Office under the work regulation scheme and apply for a national insurance number.

Relatively few full-time Polish staff work on farms in Scotland, although there are more in Scottish slaughterhouses.

But the picture is different in parts of England. Dairy farmers in particular are finding it more difficult to get herdsmen and a significant number of immigrant workers are now employed in that capacity.

Wrodarczyr said: "We are getting good reports, which does not come as a surprise because we check out references very thoroughly and many have formal qualifications."

UK wages appear highly attractive to Poles earning 200-300 per month at home, while a number are former small-scale farmers who have found it impossible to remain in business within an enlarged EU.

The holdings they sell are being merged into large-scale farms, many now owned by investors from Western Europe.

Wrodarczyr explained: "It is proving very difficult for small Polish farmers to survive in the EU and to meet all the regulations associated with the common agricultural policy. The rate of unemployment in Poland is currently 18 per cent, but it is much, much higher in many rural areas."

At the same time, full-time labour on Scottish farms continues to decline. A decade ago there were 11,700 full-time male employees with a further 710 females. The male labour force is down to just under 8,000, though the figure for female employees has remained stable at about 700.

An ageing staff profile and economic necessity have largely been responsible for this trend. The gap has partially been filled by larger equipment and using machinery rings to provide labour at peak times. However, the industry may be approaching a crisis point where production could suffer, starting in the hills where shepherds are ever-scarcer and it is difficult to recruit even casual workers for major gatherings of flocks.

There are also problems in the intensive sector. Peter Scott, a senior lecturer at Oatridge Agricultural College in West Lothian, the only educational establishment in Scotland which retains courses in pig husbandry, commented: "If you could find me half a dozen experienced pig keepers, I would be able to get them a job within the week."