Farm labour shortage risks food price spike as Aussies shun harvest jobs

Food prices will rise for consumers and profits will fall for farmers unless an urgent fix is found for the coronavirus-driven worker shortage, the farm lobby says, as it warns union demands to source local labour will lead to food rotting in the field.

AusVeg chairman and leafy green grower Bill Bulmer said paying higher wages would drive up the cost of food but not solve the labour shortage.today are absurd," Mr Cattle said. "Growers would love to employ locals, and all farms do, but they simply can't secure the numbers of workers they need, at many different skill levels, without access to international workers, including backpackers.

East Gippsland farmer Bill Bulmer, chairman of AusVeg, which has lobbied for national regulation of labour hire providers, said growers paid the award wage and argued paying higher wages would drive up the cost of food but not solve the labour shortage. About 150,000 Working Holiday Maker visas were granted in the year to June, but the number of backpackers has fallen from 140,000 to 80,000 and a steady decline is expected as they head home for Christmas, prompting warnings there won't be enough workers to harvest crops in the peak spring and summer seasons.AusVeg told a parliamentary inquiry last week that farmers would scale back on production as worker shortages grow increasingly acute during that peak harvest time.

micksfoley nickbonyhady as the central link to send a few dole seekers for work there.

micksfoley nickbonyhady And would farm workers get something like adequate pay.

micksfoley nickbonyhady Thats how brainless we are! The tourist fruit pickers have gone home..and no bludger want to go and work in the farm! Stop complaining then if you can't find a job!....idiots!

micksfoley nickbonyhady Does anyone know what the pay rate is ?

micksfoley nickbonyhady Communism settles in on our country.

micksfoley nickbonyhady Good luck and the Union movement is ignoring the facts. Why would a young person pick fruit and veg and get their hand dirty when job keeper / seeker pays so well. 😷actu seen what unions have done fist 🖐 Metal workers union in the 70’ & 80’s

micksfoley nickbonyhady Perhaps the fix is to pay workers something fair, that way the only thing to suffer will be profits?

micksfoley nickbonyhady Heaven forbid this fat country experiences expensive food

micksfoley nickbonyhady Dissolve government. Step 1

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