Pick for Britain to help our food heroes

2 April 2020

The coronavirus lockdown has seen an increased call for workers and volunteers to help support essential services up and down the country. Now, more than ever, there is a need to keep Britain farming and assist the supply chain, feeding the nation through the pandemic.

With a loss of seasonal workers, farmers are now calling on 90,000 Britons to join them in the Pick for Britain campaign. The request was issued through Good Morning Britain this morning (April 2), with chief correspondent Richard Gaisford commenting: “Because of coronavirus, because of the lockdown, the border closure, picking just isn’t happening.

“Farmers need up to 90,000 Brits to turn up in the fields to pick the crops, to get the fruit and the vegetables in.

“They will get paid, in some cases, in many cases quite a good salary, but they will also help the nation have its five-a-day in this very difficult period.”

University students and furloughed workers are amongst those being urged to volunteer to prevent a wasted harvest. Instead of food rotting on the field, farming food heroes are asking volunteers to ‘pick for Britain’ and support local businesses to provide food where there are limited supplies.

As a specialist agriculture and related studies university, we want to support the food supply chain in this difficult time. If you are healthy and have the capacity to support a farm in your local area, we have compiled a list of contacts and resources below for you to find different opportunities.

People across the agricultural sector are making a huge difference and we hope we can continue to come together to keep Britain farming and feed the nation.

If you are a student that has volunteered to support a farm through this difficult time, we’d love to hear from you about your experience and how you have been a key player in feeding the nation. Contact the Press team at press@harper-adams.ac.uk or though the link below.

Contact Press

Key resources

Harper Adams guidance on Coronavirus

Home Grown Workers Map

Castleton Fruit Farm

Hugh Lowe Farms