Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Alan Brown

Main Page: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)

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Business of the House
Thursday 15th October 2020

(3 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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George Eustice Portrait George Eustice
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My hon. Friend makes an important point. Of course I would be happy to meet him to discuss this matter. I think that the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Rebecca Pow), has already met him and others to discuss it, but we are of course happy to meet again.

Alan Brown Portrait Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)
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Fruit and vegetable growers have relied on skilled European seasonal workers to get food into shops and stop it rotting in the fields. The Secretary of State’s idea to fill vacancies is to use the unemployed in the UK. How does he think horticultural work can be taken on by people who do not have the relevant skills or experience?

George Eustice Portrait George Eustice
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I used to run a strawberry farm, so I am familiar with this challenge, but everybody needs to be trained at some point to do this sort of work, whether they are a foreign worker or a domestic worker. We are looking at the mix of this and are in discussions with the Home Office about arrangements for next year.

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