Seasonal workers urged to take precaution after farm outbreak scare

02:30

Health experts in the UK have warned that more coronavirus outbreaks should be expected at farms and other businesses where people live and work together in close proximity.

It follows a mass outbreak at a farm in Herefordshire, in the English midlands, where more than 70 seasonal workers were found to have the virus.

After the testing, efforts switched to try to keep them, and the virus, contained.

It's raised questions about working and living conditions for seasonal laborers in the UK.

Michael Head, a senior researcher in global health at the University of Southampton, said infection control practices would be key for farms.

"We know that distance is important, so increasing the amount of distance that people work in and sleep in – so, fewer people in each dormitory for example. We can also hope that farms will provide them with masks, adequate hand sanitizer and gloves, and any other aspects of personal protection Equipment (PPE). Aspects like that will help to reduce the risks of transmission and keep the workers safe."

A mass outbreak of COVID-19 at a farm in Herefordshire, England has raised questions about working and living conditions for seasonal workers in the UK. /Reuters

John Raine is a local councilor who lives just a few minutes from the farm.

He supports better working practices, and is confident that farmers in the area will act appropriately to try to stop repeat incidents.

"I'm sure the consequence of what has happened here is that all those many farms around here that are employing casual labor for the season will be upgrading and taking their responsibilities that much more seriously."

For many years, fruit and vegetable picking in the UK has been done by a workforce mostly made up of Eastern Europeans. Travel restrictions meant that many workers couldn't, or chose not to, make the journey this year.

That led to the launch of a government scheme called "Pick For Britain," encouraging domestic workers to pick fruit and vegetables.

But incidents like this outbreak, and warnings that there could be more to come, will not help fill vacancies for the rest of the summer.

The farm outbreak hasn't helped recruitment for the Pick for Britain scheme, launched by the government to encourage domestic workers to pick fruit and vegetables. /AP

Initial outbreaks were seen at meat packing plants, but the farming industry is now being forced to confront new ways of working.

The National Farmers Union said: "The industry takes this issue incredibly seriously and everything is being done to keep workers safe; their health and safety remains the priority."

But more PPE and more space for living quarters is not cheap… and farmers with narrow profit margins might struggle to put the health of their workforce at the forefront of what they do.

Video editing: Pedro Duarte