Abstract
Physically demanding and low-paid, work in the agri-food sector has been described in the literature as equal measures precarious and exploitative. In order to investigate the everyday realities of a flower-picker’s job, we trace Ivan’s journey from a Bulgarian university to the daffodil fields of Cornwall, UK. Following two rounds of successful promotions, Ivan’s work is no longer governed by the seasonal rhythms of the flower-picking industry. However, as a welfare manager, he now faces hidden and open resistance from other migrant pickers whose work he oversees. Speaking to us at the height of the picking season and having worked seven days a week for months, Ivan is struggling. He has no time to complete his application to remain in the UK and is becoming mindful of the gap between the expectations placed on him by his employer, and the recompense offered in return.
Highlights
Cornwall’s daffodil-covered hills may invoke the bygone charm of Wordsworth’s famous poem, yet the reasons why acres of flowers remain unpicked have little to do with romantic aesthetics
Some of the problems are industry-wide and have been brought about by the global, COVID-19 pandemic. This famously led Prince Charles to issue a call to the UK population, asking individuals to help make up the 90,000 shortfall in fruit and vegetable-pickers (Middleton, 2020)
The context of the UK’s agri-food industry is a space of complex interactions, social relations, legislative provisions, working patterns and personal experiences (Harvey, 2018). It is a nexus of subordination and worker agency (Alberti, 2014), at times empowered and at times held back, by an intersection of gender, class, ethnicity and other worker characteristics (McBride et al, 2015). In this ‘On the Front Line’ article, we introduce Ivan, a Bulgarian migrant and a former daffodil-picker based in the Duchy of Cornwall, southwest England
Summary
Cornwall’s daffodil-covered hills may invoke the bygone charm of Wordsworth’s famous poem, yet the reasons why acres of flowers remain unpicked have little to do with romantic aesthetics. Those currently allow only fruit and vegetable producers (but not flower farms) to use temporary labour as part of the seasonal workers pilot scheme (Evans, 2021). He started work here as a daffodil-picker and did this for two years – from 2008 to 2010.
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