Furloughed British Workers Help With The Watercress Harvest

DORCHESTER, DORSET - JUNE 05: Workers cut the crop of watercress on June 05, 2020 in Waddock Cross, United Kingdom. The Watercress Company in Dorset has overcome difficulties in obtaining seasonal workers as a result of the current pandemic. Seasonal employees from overseas have been unable to work with the company this year due to movement restrictions caused by coronavirus. The watercress grower has recruited a number of workers who had been furloughed or were self-employed. Tom Amery, managing director of The Watercress Company, said: “We realised quite early on in the lockdown that we were going to have issues with the harvest of watercress and our other salad crops if we didn’t quickly source the 25 staff members needed from other backgrounds.“For most it’s a complete change from their normal lives, we haven’t had to train a fresh group of recruits for years, but I think we are learning a lot from each other.” (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)