Changing the way food is grown and paid for | Letters

Conditions for seasonal workers have gotten worse and worse, writes Jenny Tillyard, and the market needs to be rebalanced. Plus letters from Jo Steranka and Tim O'MalleyPrince Charles's bumbling remarks should kickstart a re-examination of how fruit and vegetables are grown in rich countries, including ours (Coronavirus latest: a senior royal wants us to *checks notes* work harder, 19 May). Supermarkets want to keep the price of fresh produce at an affordable level. So they pay farmers as little as they can get away with, and their market power tells farmers to have more and more machinery and treat their seasonal workers worse and worse.Henry Ford once reportedly said: "Why do I have to employ people when I only want their hands?" Since then, permanent workers have fought for their right to decent treatment. The same must happen for seasonal workers. If that means changing the whole way that food is grown and paid for, then so be it. Continue reading...