In the European Union, one of the most severe challenges within the agriculture sector is the cost and scarcity of labor. In fact, throughout the pandemic, growers across the region have been either complaining about higher labor costs, or limited access to it altogether. Therefore, to protect the food supply chains in Europe, a new EU project is accelerating the
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Canada is currently the world’s fifth-largest exporter of agricultural goods. The Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council said Canada’s farm labor deficit is expected to double by 2029 to 123,000 workers, or one in three jobs, as shortages continue to hit the sector’s bottom line. Farmers in Canada have long reported challenges in recruiting farmworkers because the rural-based work traditionally involves
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European Union institutions and national governments are scrambling to address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for European farming, vowing that food supplies will not be affected. Procedures for accessing the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies are being relaxed and funds are being pumped into the sector to keep farmers and businesses afloat. Meanwhile, farming associations have sounded the
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