Reading the farming pages there’s always a factoid or two that will leap off the page at you.
One such recently was the estimation that there are currently around 600 vacancies for operatives and pickers in the mushroom industry, there are 200 vacancies in the vegetable sector and up to 900 jobs in the soft fruit area.
Pay and conditions seem to be one of the big factors pushing workers into other sectoral employment.
The unemployment rate is falling, increased job opportunities and better wages in the construction industry have taken workers that would formerly have worked on farms or agri-food sector.
It’s hard to believe the sector could continue with so many vacancies.
