By Alec Ross

Amidst ongoing concerns around post-Brexit labour shortages in Scotland’s fruit and vegetable sectors, NFU Scotland’s horticulture working group chair Iain Brown has called for participation in the review of a seasonal workers scheme currently being conducted by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).

Mr Brown said: “Labour is essential to the horticultural industry in Scotland and most of those who are employed on our farms come from overseas.

“Brexit, combined with Covid and the war in Ukraine, has made recruitment much harder.

"We need a long term assurance from the UK Government that we will have good access to seasonal labour, and an understanding that a lack of workers will reduce the amount of home produced fruit and veg on our shelves, which in turn will undermine the Government’s own commitments to food security.

"So we need visa lengths increased, and fewer barriers to people returning yearly, as many wish to”.

Round-up

1,214 lambs at Newton Stewart yesterday met a similar trade as last week, but there remains a significant gap between leaner lambs and well fleshed types. It all added up to an average of 251p/kg or £111/head and a peak of 284p/kg for Beltexes from Boghouse or £152/head for Suffolks from Jim Cannon, Redbrae and Texels from High Drumskeog.

Mules sold to £125 for the same vendor, while tups sold to £142 for a Charolais from Carslae. Heavy mules from Blairshinnoch sold to £113 while Drannadow led the Blackies at £83/head.

Similarly, well fleshed prime lambs at Dumfries yesterday comfortably matched recent prices while plainer sorts proved harder to cash. Light lambs averaged 248p/kg and sold to 264p/kg for Townpark, while the heaviest grades averaged 249p/kg and told to 260p/kg for Druidhall.

It was the same story in the cast ring, with heavier ewes easily matching last week’s returns while lighter types met with weaker demand, leading to an average of £87/head and a peak of £160 for Netherton.

Tups met with good demand and sold to £185 for Ingleston, while Hayfield topped the Blackies at £73/head.

Breeding sheep at Longtown also met with demand yesterday, the sale topping at £260/head for ten Beltex cross gimmers from Morwood, who also averaged £235/head for gimmer shearlings.

Texel / Leicester crosses from Blakehopeburnhaugh peaked at £220/head while Suffolk cross gimmers from Kinning Hall topped their section at £200/head. Texel/ Cheviot mule gimmers sold to £190 for Fern House while Scotch Mules from Hassendean averaged £146/head before selling to a peak of £168.

Store cattle prices rose yet again at Carlisle yesterday and peaked at £1,930 for a Limousin cross steer from Garth, with Simmentals selling to £1,850 for New House and Charolais reaching £1,790 for Newbampton. Finally, British Blues sold to £1,720/head for a pair from Yew Tree, Carlisle.

Weaned bulls peaked at £1,950 for a Limousin from Cragside, who sold others for £1,450/head, while bullocks sold to £1,190 for Burthwaite. Heifers sold to £1,160 for Limousins from Henrys Hill and to £1,130 for Fleckviehs from Greyrigg.