The work

Soft fruit

The majority of work that we supply workers to do is in the picking of soft fruit and this will include strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. This is seasonal work that starts at the end of April until the end of October depending on the weather and crop.

Strawberry picking is very labour intensive and is hard work, however it can be the most lucrative as bonus is paid provided the set daily targets are achieved.

Strawberries are largely grown on the ground either in the open or under poly-tunnels and you must be aware that you will be for the most part bending down picking the crop. Some of the farms grow strawberries on “table tops” which means that the crop is picked at shoulder height and some farms grow their produce in glass houses which under this environment can get fairly hot.

Click here to view a short clip of some of our strawberry pickers in action

Top fruit

Top Fruits are apples, pears, plums and cherries and are generally harvested late summer once again dependant on the weather; however you may be involved prior to picking involved in pruning and thinning of the fruit trees.

Click here to view a short clip of our champion apple pickers

Vegetables and salads

There are many types of vegetables that you may be involved in picking ranging from peppers and asparagus to runner beans, leeks and lettuce this produce will either be picked on stem or for the ground harvesting crop the use of field rigs are normally utilized where you will be working as part of a team.

Click here to view a clip of what life is like working on the field rigs

Packhouse staff

Once the fresh produce has been picked the next stage of the process is in its packing and distribution. With produce either grown or imported, we employ staff to undertake various tasks such as packing, quality control (selection and grading), trolley wrapping and labelling and from time to time use certificated fork-lift drivers in dispatch.

Packhouse work requires a high degree of manual dexterity coupled with attention to detail with the produce that is being packed in relation to the selection and grading process ensuring the product is in perfect order before reaching the consumer.

It is also an area where it is essential that you (the worker) understand the importance of health and hygiene when handling fresh produce and that taking responsibility in respect to personal cleanliness is paramount as is in making sure that the working environment for all concerned is kept clean and tidy.

Click here to view a clip of what packhouse work entails

Nursery workers

There are many aspects to nursery work that you would be involved in and listed below are the main duties that make up the job specification;

Production

• Preparation and cleaning of flower beds
• Hand and Machine potting
• Arranging plant batches ensuring correct spacing
• Watering of newly potted plant batches
• Use of trimming machine
• Preparation and grading of plants before hand or machine potting
• Lifting, cleaning and grading of plants for dispatch or plant preparation
• Collation, preparation, labelling and packing of customer orders

Dispatch

• Assist in the lifting, cleaning and grading of plants for dispatch
• Assist with the collation, preparation, labelling and packing of customer orders ensuring correct standards and specifications
• Transporting of plants from production area to dispatch