The Brexit and Coronavirus pandemic caused a shortage of pickers in Cornwall which left nearly 274 million daffodil flowers to rot. Business Matters reports that daffodil growers were forced to rot nearly 300 million flowers.
Government lack of workers threatens the upcoming harvest, and farmers are warning that they may stop growing one of the country’s favorite flowers if it isn’t solved before then.
The mild climate in Cornwall has led to daffodils being grown on a large-scale commercial scale since late 19th century when large-scale floral operations were established for the benefit of the UK.
In 2021, however, 274 million stems were left untouched because pickers were short, leaving the £100 million industry in a state of crisis, the report said.
As a result, 20 per cent of the harvest has been lost, and the farmers have threatened to shut down unless they receive more support from the government.
The unpicked crops could also cost £1 million in VAT revenue, said Derek Thomas, MP for St Ives, West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
In response, he suggested extending the post-Brexit seasonal agricultural workers scheme (SAWS) to cover flowers and food crops, as well as prolonging the scheme by three months in order to cover daffodil season.
Thomas explained: “It is time for the Home Office to take the opportunity to demonstrate its support for British farming. Our farmers do not yet know if they will be given access to foreign workers through the seasonal agricultural worker’s scheme in just 14 weeks’ time.
“There is an urgent need to secure a workforce to harvest our daffodils.”
