Farmers and growers from the Fens came together to hear how they are being helped to tackle issues after Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Members of local NFU branches met union president Minette Batters at a farm in Wimblington on October 26 whilst she was on a tour of East Anglia.

“The aim was to hear from them and the concerns they have from the challenges a global pandemic has brought, and the challenges and opportunities around leaving the EU,” Ms Batters said.

One of the key topics discussed was a labour shortage and calls for government to open up a Covid recovery visa scheme to help tackle this.

“Labour is a massive issue in the Fens; a huge amount of the nation’s fruit and vegetables are grown here,” said Minette.

“My focus is on making sure there is a plentiful supply of food on farms and it gets onto the shelves for Christmas and into 2022."