Farmers warn Brexit labour shortage could hit crops

British farming leaders warned Friday that post-Brexit curbs on EU immigration could be "devastating" for their sector and suggested a visa system to allow in seasonal workers to pick British crops.

"The loss of labour post-Brexit could have a devastating impact on the horticulture industry," National Farmers Union (NFU) president Meurig Raymond said after talks with farming minister Andrea Leadsom.

Raymond said that a shortage of seasonal workers could damage the competitiveness of the sector compared to foreign imports "but could also, in the most severe cases, lead to a loss of crops".

Ali Capper, the NFU's horticulture board chairwoman, suggested the possibility of a visa system.

"We need to explore all the possible options in maintaining access to horticulture's vital labour supply, which could involve some form of visa-restricted access to labour," she said, calling for an urgent meeting with Brexit minister David Davis.

A shortage of labour in 2007-08 blamed on changes to a system in place at the time for bringing in seasonal workers -- mainly from Eastern Europe -- saw many crops unharvested and left to rot.

Farmers have warned that they will grow their crops elsewhere in the EU to avoid a similar situation.

"British farmers could decide to transfer some of their enterprises to other places in Europe where there is an ample supply and suitable land,? said Laurence Olins, the chairman of British Summer Fruits (BSF), an industry body.

Olins pointed out that the £1.2 billion (1.4 billion euros, $1.6 billion) industry relies completely on European workers because their British counterparts do not like working in the fields despite numerous government attempts to attract British workers.

Capper, an apple farmer, said she was worried the Brexit vote would impact the industry even before the formal withdrawal from the 28-nation bloc.

"It is not unusual for horticultural producers to be planning crops 10 years in advance, yet these crops cannot be produced without a good labour supply," she said.