This farmer voted for Brexit. Now a labour shortage could destroy his business

In the three years since the Brexit vote, there has been a decline in immigration from some areas in Europe, impacting businesses across the country.

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The number of people migrating to the UK from the wider EU for work is at its lowest level in six years.

There are still more EU citizens moving to Britain than leaving; however, immigration from Central and Eastern European countries has not followed this pattern.

David Figgis grows apples and strawberries for supermarkets in the small British town Kent. His farm is almost entirely dependent on Eastern European labour.

More than three years ago, David voted ‘Leave’ on the Brexit referendum because he was fed up with unelected bureaucracies making decisions in Luxembourg. David stands by his vote but says the ways things have panned out has been a “disaster”.

“I voted for something that is better for my country. Personally, I think it's a disaster.”

Foreign labour is crucial for David’s business, he employs seasonal workers from Eastearn European countries like Romania.

“On Friday morning [after the Brexit vote], the phone dried up from Romania and Bulgaria,” he said.

"Why go work from a country where you're told you're not wanted? At least that’s how they read it.”

The standards of living in Eastern Europe has been increasing in the past decade. Romania was the fastest growing economy in the EU in 2017, with an estimated GDP growth rate of 6.4 per cent.

So although a decline immigration for work cannot be entirely attributed to Brexit, David immediately struggled to find workers after the successful Brexit vote.

Strawberries need to be picked as soon as they are ripe, if he doesn’t have the workforce then the fruit will rot.

“With strawberries, you’ve got 24 hours. If you don’t pick them, then they are rubbish,” he said.

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Stephanie Maurel is the Head of Agricultural Recruitment for Concordia. She said her company is now turning outside Europe Union, to Ukraine, to find workers. Britain's minimum wage is 10 times that of Ukraine.

“[Concordia] is filling a need, which is seasonal labour, people coming here for six months to do jobs that British people don’t want to do. If you want British fruit in supermarkets, we desperately need workers.”

As the Brexit deadline approaches, David Figgis hopes he will be able to sustain his business as immigration patterns shift across Europe.

“[If I don’t have the workers] I might as well just drop dead. Because if I haven’t got anybody to pick the fruit what am I going to do?”