Up to £60m in UK crops left to rot owing to lack of workers, says NFU

There is already concern for the potato crop, with half of England’s expected to fail because it cannot be irrigated. Photograph: Maureen McLean/REX/Shutterstock

As much as £60m of food has been wasted on farms because of a labour shortage, according to the National Farmers’ Union, which found at least £22m of fruit and vegetables had been wasted so far this year.

The NFU said 40% of respondents to a survey of its members said they had suffered crop losses as a result of labour shortages, with farms 14% short of the size of the workforce they needed on average. The problems were worsened by some staff not turning up for work or quitting early.