FARMERS are struggling to find workers as their loyal migrant fruit pickers have been put off from returning to the UK following last year’s Brexit vote.

Recruiters firms, which pair EU workers with Sussex farmers, have said that they are finding it more difficult to hire overseas staff, which make up about 50 per cent of all fruit pickers in the county.

It comes as John Hall, the executive officer for the West Sussex Growers’ Association, has submitted a plea to the government, along with the National Farmers’ Union, advising ministers to clarify their position on the free movement of people.

Concordia, a Portslade company which recruits European workers for agricultural and horticultural industries, has already seen a significant impact from Brexit.

Bosses said the company has received 20 per cent more requests for recruitment from local farmers this year because seasonal staff are not returning.

Chief executive Stephanie Maurel said: “Farmers are finding it harder to hire from Europe. They are unable to do it themselves.

She also said a higher standard of living overseas had meant that many more Europeans were choosing to work in their own countries.

The company hires more than 80,000 employees each year with 99 per cent of them coming from Romania, Lithuania and Bulgaria.

She added that, although the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is “listening and understand” their concerns, the government is not prioritising agriculture in its Brexit plans.

John Hall has partnered with the NFU to persuade the government to clarify its position on the free movement of people.

He spoke of the worry that Brexit is causing those, in the agricultural industry, who are dependent upon European labour. He said: “The Brexit debate is causing large concern in the horticultural industry.

“The news has certainly made EU workers nervous about coming. They don’t feel welcome anymore.”

Peter Kyle, MP for Hove, who campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU, echoed Mr Hall’s pleas for government assurances on free movement.

The Labour MP said: “There is a way of doing this that would reassure farmers. But the government is choosing not to do it.

“The government could issue today a reassurance that workers with a job offer will be able to come to the UK but nothing has been said about what the future relationship with the EU will look like.”

Meanwhile, farmers have also expressed their concern about the lack of certainty surrounding the issue of free movement.

Sam Linter, managing director at the West Sussex Bolney Estate, said that the end to freedom of movement “would mean that we would have a lot of problems managing the vineyard”.

She added: “The whole frustration about Brexit is that you’re just sitting there waiting to hear…things aren’t happening quickly enough”.

‘WE HOPE THEY’LL STILL COME BUT WE DON’T REALLY KNOW’

FARMERS are used to making predictions – mostly about the weather.

But they have been left second-guessing the political climate, as the government has failed to give assurances over the vital issue of free movement of people.

Agricultural workers have spoken to us about the concern that the government’s silence on the issue of free movement is causing them.

Sam Linter, managing director and winemaker at the Bolney Estate, said she “doesn’t really know what’s happening” but she is “hoping that they can still come in”.

Her fears are shared by Simon Roberts, the production manager at Ridgeview wine estate. He said the business had not yet had an issue with hiring European workers but warned that Brexit hadn’t yet happened.

He said: “Our European workers are dedicated to working in the vineyard but you never really know what’s coming.”

Those involved in hiring for the agriculture industry said the real issue was that there were few alternatives to European hired labour.

Ms Linter said the company would hire British if they could but too few apply for the jobs.

Stephanie Maurel, chief executive of Concordia, echoed this concern saying that she advertises all of the jobs on British job sites but but very few Brits apply.

This has serious implications for the industry, given the need to forward plan. Ms Maurel said: “We need to know because we are working 12 months ahead…we are already looking to 2019 now”.

Brexit is not the only reason behind the increased difficulty in hiring European labourers.

Many identified the fact that conditions in the countries of origins of many of the workers had improved dramatically in recent years.

The impact of this is noticeable, with immigration from countries such as Bulgaria and Romania falling by 4,000 between 2015 and 2016.

The falling price of the pound is also thought to be behind the trend.

Indeed, it is at its lowest value in 31 years, meaning it is only worth slightly more than the Euro.

This change has meant European workers can now earn a similar wage on the Continent.

John Hall, chief executive of the WSGA, identified Germany as one of the new competitors for European agricultural labour.

Ms added that the worker’s motivations for going to Germany, as opposed to Britain, were that it was “easier to get there and easier to get home”.

The impact of these factors has meant that the future of European migrant labour, on British farms and vineyards, is under serious threat.

This is exacerbated by the fact that technology has not been developed to pick soft-fruit at the speed, and with the efficiency, of himan beings.

According to the Economist, automated machines can cost up to £200,000 and although the machine can work for 24 hours a day, it misses around 15 per cent of the crop.

But the end of free movement does not necessarily mean the end of European labour.

Peter Kyle, the Hove MP, suggested that there could be a “move to conditional movement” after Brexit.

This would mean that labourers would continue to be able to work in the UK if certain conditions were attached to their migration.

This is an idea that was repeated by Ms Maurel, who said that a similar “seasonal workers scheme” had existed before and that it “worked really well”.

However, it is not clear if the government has any plans to implement such a scheme The resounding message is that the agricultural community is worried and, despite some hopes of improvement, is facing very real threats to its use of vital migrant labour.

As Mr Kyle made clear, “farmers are on the frontline of the Brexit negotiations” and are worried about the future of their businesses.

Sussex is a leader in agriculture and it is already suffering.

The forecast – to say the least – looks unsettled.