Food pickers and the virus

Have four of them escaped?
Maybe they will get improved accommodation when they are caught. Probably 3 good meals a day in police custody.

Fruit and veg should not be washed in water with washing up liquid.

Fruit and veg is porous so will absorb some of the chemical and no amount of rinsing will get rid of it.

it's not a bowl of cherries, or strawberries or broccoli.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/12/one-workers-experience-at-coronavirus-hit-herefordshire-farm

There's an article in the Guardian (I think) about somebody who worked at this farm. It's obviously very hard work, but the writer did say that she was paid NLW. She was charged £50pw for accommodation. There are plenty of workers in cities (and elsewhere) who are paid NLW and have to pay more than that for accommodation. I'm not saying any of it's right, but they're not that badly paid.

I said the vary same to them Callistemon but the answer they gave me was sadly they need the job to send money home.
And without blowing my own trumpet i gave them Disney frozen t/shirts for their children,their little faces were a picture and the mother just filled up.

They should be paid at least the NMW or NLW and some will be paid more.

I rinse in water. Would not dream of adding any sort of detergent. It's days old before we get it.

Well, that is illegal and should be reported.

It is not the norm.

Yes Callistemon i do.
I speak to some whilst doing a car boot and they are only paid £3 per hour and i would happily pay a little extra for the fruit/veg if they had a better pay packet.

they are on a pathetic wage, bless them

Then we should all start campaigning to pay more for our food!

Start with the supermarkets - special offers are not funded by them out of their profits but funded by farmers under duress from the supermarkets.

pathetic

timetogo2016

Like most of you grans/grandad netters i wash all fresh produce.
I do feel for the pickers as they are on apathetic wage bless them.

Are they? Do you know that their wages are pathetic?

No more pathetic than many other workers in the UK, especially those working in British sweatshops.

They will be paid at least the Minimum wage.
That may well be patheyptuc but many people are on that rate.

Like most of you grans/grandad netters i wash all fresh produce.
I do feel for the pickers as they are on apathetic wage bless them.

I suppose they do go about as normal because they have no clue they have the virus.

Testing, testing, testing
And for antibodies.

It's quite worrying how many people are asymptomatic. Presumably they feel confident to go about their lives as normal, but who knows how many people they could be infecting?

X post growstuff

Yes, the farm management said they had received more applications from UK people this year.

They have quarantined the farm and they are also living in 'bubbles' there to try to contain it.

Many of the workers may well be British anyway and most of those tested positive for the virus were asymptomatic.
That could be the case throughout many other areas.

BlueBelle the thought of washing it with chemical laden washing up liquid or bleach or disinfectant makes my toes curl

But baby's bottles are sterilised in Milton and then rinsed - it's no different.

Callistemon It was me. I realise that Hereforshire's infection rate is low, but it only takes one contact for it to spread.

The implication was that these workers had brought the infection with them from foreign lands. That could be the case for all I know. However, they were apparently tested and quarantined on arrival. I have no idea whether there are "locals" also working on the farm or whether the workers had previously been working in the UK.

My point was that it doesn't really matter who was first infected. Once one person was, it was inevitable that it would spread, given the living and working arrangements.

I was uncomfortable with the idea that these foreign Eastern Europeans had brought infection with them, when it's pure speculation. As far as I know, very few travellers from any country are tested now, whatever nationality they are.

PS. Was there any less social distancing than there will be when schools are fully open again?

There's always the chance that the infection can have been taken in via lorries/drivers travelling to and from distribution centres which are situated all over the country.

At the end of the season a good employer will make sure the accommodation is left in a reasonable condition and before the new season begins it will be inspected, cleaned, refurbished. The rent goes towards the maintenance of the accommodation.
Yes, farms will be inspected and standards have to be maintained. Workers return year after year.

I am surprised that Germany does not have higher standards.

However, if the public continues to demand cheap food, together with the supermarkets all competing and generally screwing the farmers down on prices, then the farmers will continue to struggle.

Whoever claimed that the workers are more likely to have picked up the virus locally rather than bringing it in, catching it en route, don't seem to realise that Herefordshire's rate of infection was very low.

If we fail to take the necessary precautions with people entering the country from overseas, whether they be workers coming in or people returning from holiday, we will not get rid of this virus.

I’m just going to carry on washing my fruit and veg as normal. No going overboard. It all gets a bit silly.
I believe these seasonal workers come every year.
I’m sorry they have got sick. That’s not fun for anyone.

They are not paid reasonably well - how ridiculous to compare them to the Leicester pay scandal. They are sharing kitchen and washing facilities and not able to observe social distancing either living or working. £50 a week pp sounds like a good return on the trailers to me.

Callistemon

There's a lot of unfounded speculation on this thread.

Yes, there is! Farms that accommodate seasonal workers are inspected by environmental health officers just like any other business.

The mobile homes are on a permanent site. Their washing and toilet facilities will be plumbed in. Some farms also have an additional shower block.

Why on earth would an established and respected farming company such as AS Green take chances with the welfare of their workers during a pandemic? They also provide entertainment facilities by way of a social club although I suspect this will now be closed.