From Spain to Italy, Britain and beyond, travel bans to curb the spread of COVID-19 have left farms across western Europe short of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, raising fears that crops could end up rotting in the fields.
Why?
When I was in my late teens and had my first motorbike, I spent a glorious, and considering the time, rather lucrative, summer picking lettuces in Kent. Well stacking boxes on the back of the trailer as we went up and down the fields to be exact. But I remember it well, we were all from the same generation and, supplemented with pulling pints at Peggy Sue’s On The Beach for the London set in fashionable Ramsgate on weekends, I did very nicely, thank you.
The weekend trippers soon moved on to the local “disco” at closing time when the riot squad parked up outside!
I digress.
So, it would appear that there are plenty of jobs going down on the local farms here in the Balearics. There has already been a good response from the local community, many members of which had probably been looking forward to a rather easier option of working in a beach-front bar or hotel this summer, mind you that can be very hard work as well.
But, it’s going to be a short tourism season and jobs may be few and far to come by. So, get your wellies out, get picking and helping the local economy.