In what many industry organisations have suggested as a devaluing assessment of future labour needs, the Migration and Advisory Committee released their report; dealing blows to the agricultural and horticultural sectors, with the latter referred to as “small, low wage and low-productive.”

The recommendations have ignored concerns the rural economy hold over access to a future workforce by saying there should not be employer-led or sector-based routes for ‘lower-skilled’ migrants.

NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick made it clear that any barrier to non-UK nationals coming to work in Scotland during or after Brexit could cause considerable disruption to the entire agriculture and food supply chain: “NFUS is very disappointed that the Committee’s recommendations have not heeded its strong evidence that Scottish agriculture and associated industries such as food processing and road haulage require routes to employ non-UK workers in what are deemed less ‘skilled’, but nonetheless very competent, permanent positions,” he stressed.

“The Union is concerned by the MAC’s recommendation that there should not be employer-led or sector-based routes for ‘lower-skilled’ migrants,” he continued. “Saying that employers need to improve pay and conditions to compete for workers is not straight forward - the problems of attracting and training enough suitable UK workers is long-standing, and the work is simply not as appealing to many people,” concluded Mr McCornick.

Migration Minister Ben Macpherson added his concerns: “The report does little to consider Scotland’s needs and instead suggests that increasing the pension age would be a preferential approach to managing demographic change – a completely unsustainable position and one which we and many across Scotland would reject,” he stressed.

Whilst some positivity can be taken from their advice of a new Seasonal Agricultural Worker’s Scheme, Chairman of British Soft Fruits Nick Marston disapproved of the dismissal of the UK soft fruit industry as low-productive and lacking in relevance to the UK economy: “The UK soft fruit industry is highly significant with a farm-gate turnover of circa £650million per annum, employing some 3,000 permanent staff, as well as 29,000 seasonal employees, making significant contributions to the rural economy,” he explained. “The report also states that the disappearance of UK horticulture may lead to ‘modestly higher prices’ for consumers,” he continued. “This again misses the point that home produced fresh produce is infinitely better for the environment than imported product.”