When borders close, who will pick the crops?

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1.3m Ukrainians were estimated to be working in Poland before borders closed. Their departure puts the country's food supply at risk

the mood of Germany in spring quite like the 1930 hit “Veronika, the spring is here”: “The girls are singing tra-la-la, the whole world is enchanted. Veronika, the asparagus is sprouting!” April in Germany is, or “asparagus time”. Purists race to farm stalls to buy the freshest stalks , and serve it up with sliced ham and hollandaise sauce or with breadcrumbs and butter. But this year much of the crop will rot in the fields.

Asparagus is just the tip of a problem that European farmers will soon face. Germany will need almost 300,000 seasonal farmhands this year. France, where strawberry season is approaching, needs 200,000 in the next three months; between a third and two-thirds usually come from abroad. The Netherlands is Europe’s biggest agricultural exporter, but most of the workers who pick tomatoes and cucumbers in its greenhouses are from eastern Europe, and many will not come this year.

Staying at home means hardship. Nitfie Salimova, a Bulgarian, had planned to go to Belgium in May to pick berries, a job that last year earned her €150 per day. That is almost half the Bulgarian minimum monthly wage. Her earnings paid for smartphones for her daughters and a Black Sea holiday. The head of a Bulgarian agency that sends 500 workers per year to Germany, Austria and Britain says no one is going now; in fact, scores are heading home.

Some countries hope to limit the damage by letting workers who are already there stay longer. Belgium has lengthened work-permits for foreign farmhands, and Germany has extended the period in which they can work without paying local social security taxes. In the Netherlands a collapse of demand for flowers has left workers who came to pluck tulips with little to do; some have gone to vegetable farms.

 

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aqui en Ecuador los indigenas son nuestros heroes que nos dan de comer todos los dias, y es mas hacen donaciones a Guaquil para que se alimente de lo que la pacha mama da.

I wont buy one to protest our poltics this year instand of creating a System paying the wage for germans lose their Job in Corona crisis and let them work on the field they fly in people to do it ich glaub mein Schwein pfeift

ActivistPost If this absurd lock-down continues 'til everyone is vaxxd (come & try it!) there will be food shortgages.

How’s about the unemployed? Or the owners?

Looks like robots like smart jobs alone the field workers have another dacade before robots invade their jobs

Emmanuel Macron : ' I propose in the framework of a regional redevelopment & diversification of the means of agricultural production, housing & parcels of agricultural land in rural or urbanized zone in order to revitalize & rehabilitate isolated or over-densified territories '

No, I'll eat it

Robots you morons, it’s been underway for ten years at least. Pleased to look up cotton-gin!

Ilpensatoree el the economist pensa en tu.

Robots

Germans.

If retired folks are allowed earn some extra money & treated respectfully, some might appreciate getting out, & doing moderate exercize while getting some fresh air.

Under the affordable limit, maybe try putting on the mask? Might slow down & reduce of the spread of the WuHanVirus.

Piece work for die Jugend, a lot of money to be made.

meanwhile that problem has been fixed. you are not up to date.

do it yourself!

Locals look down/frown on such jobs. Iv been planting trees in Sweden for the past 3years as a South African. Shit work for good pay when I convert to rands.

Hoping and praying things get better there and everwhere

Locals?

In Italy we have the same problem

The Economist journalists who perpetuate the Globalist agenda?

Cannot it be a social work for unemployed people? Waiting for a new employment they can help the collectivity.

Will be time to pay people correctly so local would work

So much for European Unity...

Raise prices, pay higher wages & use loans for labour saving capital or go bust & be replaced by farming entrepreneurs who adapt to labour scarcity. It will be up to the state to raise tariffs on food or subsidise heavily when we've left the EU fully,transition hurts but it works

dennisgjones Gammon?

The hungry?

SandraKravitz no worries, I'm sure locals complaining Eastern Europeans have been taking their jobs will jump in right away...

Going forward, we will need to use robots to do farm work.

Dont let them go to waste...

Because locals have refused to do hard work for a very long time.....

It could be an another solution if you ask your own people to pick them all up instead of hiring Eastern Europians

pravda

The police of the respective counties can do.

Romanians and Bulgarians don't have agriculture, do they ?

well the world is fucked up forget the crop pickers: it seems romanian and bulgarian doctors are newest valuable ana rare comodity , its , but they are not for sale, right osterreich ?

Nesmysl, místní lidé také mohou pracovat

We have enough locals to do it? Keep social distances and let's all put a shift in?

godelitsas Locals have 2 hands and 2 legs as well.

Open for Syrian

Tulips went to waste this year too - 2020 poetic forewarning...

Me

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