Post by Jared Cockrell. Colgate class of 2020.

Source: Reynolds, Emma. “Coronavirus May Force the UK to Rethink Its Relationship with Migrant Workers.” CNN, Cable News Network, 17 Apr. 2020.

            On April 17th,  CNN London reported on the impact of COVID-19 concerning the British agricultural sectors that typically rely heavily on seasonal migrant workers from Europe. G’s Fresh, Uk’s largest produce supplier has stated that it had used a company plane to import workers to the UK from Romania. The total amount of immigrants they planned to bring in was around 900 depending on how the demand changes. The UK government also reported that the National Famers’ Union estimates that approximately 700,000 seasonal jobs will need to be filled due to the limited travel caused by the virus. Economic theory suggests that if these roles are not filled in full, the prices for these goods will increase due to a large decrease in supply. This will further the economic damage that’s already in place. The CEO at Migrants’ Rights Network is quoted saying “That uptake, it gives you an indication that these aren’t jobs that everyone is willing to do,”. This quote applies closely to the many conversations we have had in class. These jobs that are typically filled by seasonal immigrants that are now not being filled proves that there are not many substitute workers in the destination country (the UK in this case). This occurrence comes at an intensely political time for the UK as they were just planning to come out with a plan for a “post-Brexit immigration system”. This is so timely because this proves how reliant the UK truly is on the immigrant flows that fill these jobs that UK citizens do not want.