Place UK Warns Of Seasonal Labour Risk Beyond 2030
Norfolk fruit grower Place UK has warned of uncertainty over seasonal labour beyond 2030, highlighting the continuing dependence of British soft fruit production on overseas workers.
The Tunstead-based business employs around 700 people during the summer. Its fruit pickers are either Seasonal Worker visa holders or EU citizens with settled status, while approximately 85 per cent of workers staying on-site this year had previously worked at the farm.
Co-managing director Matt Smith said automated harvesting technology remained unable to match human pickers in strawberry and raspberry production. Labour accounts for around 60 per cent of fruit-growing costs, according to Smith.
The government announced an extension of the Seasonal Worker visa route until the end of 2030 at the NFU conference in February 2025. In a subsequent parliamentary answer, ministers said annual quota reviews would balance support for farms with a gradual transition away from seasonal migrant labour.
The route allows overseas workers to undertake horticultural work for up to six months, including picking fruit, vegetables and flowers. Applicants require a sponsor and must meet the relevant eligibility requirements.
Place UK grows strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries and rhubarb, with soft fruit picked by hand and packed into punnets at its on-site packhouse. Its operations also include frozen ingredients supplied to retailers, manufacturers and foodservice businesses.
The company’s concerns come despite its involvement in developing new technology. A September 2025 profile documented trials of raspberry and strawberry harvesting robots, alongside autonomous machines using ultraviolet light at night to control mildew.
At that time, head of fresh Dan Yordanov explained that technology and trained teams needed to work together. The business was also working on experimental berry varieties with characteristics intended to make harvesting easier and reduce reliance on seasonal workers.
In January 2026, the Home Office said future visa allocations would take account of scheme usage, efforts to reduce reliance on overseas labour through automation, and the costs of operating the route. It said decisions would be made with Defra.
Meanwhile, Place UK faces competition from imported soft fruit during the British season. Smith identified supplies from the Netherlands, Morocco and Egypt.
Weather has added further pressure. Summer heatwaves pushed the company’s yields around 20 per cent above expectations, while similarly high regional volumes resulted in some fruit being left unharvested, discarded or diverted to freezing.
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