"The" Farm to work at in Portugal

Good plants, the right fertilizer programme and crop protection are just a few of the things needed to have a successful strawberry crop, but even if all these are present and correct, if you haven't got a skilled picking crew it can all go to waste.

Harvesting costs are a huge percentage of growers costs, although an incredibly "manual" job, it actually requires skill, precision and more importantly a good work ethic. Finding the right labouris not a problem exclusive to UK growers, Well Pict Europeans operations in both Portugal and South Africa have found this a huge hurdle to overcome.

Just like the UK, Portugal's agricultural industry has relied on Eatern European labour from Baltic States such as Ukraine or Bulgaria to fill its requirements for harvesting staff. But growers are constantly battling against the higher wages students can earn in other EU countries during the same work.

When Well Pict European looked towards creating a model strawberry farm in Iberia they didn't just envisage an efficient, profitable production but a place where people in the loca community wanted to work. This year Well Pict European in Portugal was voted one of the best places to work in its region.

M.D. Garry Mercer is pleased with the work his team has put in over the last 6 months. "Over the summer we have been putting as much effort into developing the labour areas as we have improving the packhouse and production". During the up and coming 05/06 season the farm will need to draw on the skills of over 300 workers to get the crop harvested. Although a lot of these workers are transported ona daily basis to the farm, they can accommodate 150 on site. Accommodation is a mizture of temp cabins and a permanent hostel with "flats", each of which can house up to 12 (self contained kitchen and showers).

Attached to the packhosue is a permanent canteen with additional washrooms, during peak times the kitchen will provide meals for staff on site, "out of hours" there are snack and drinks machines. This area also has TV's and entertainment facilities.

Outside, Mercer and his team have recycled the old wooden Portuguese tunnels, to create eating and seating areas for the staff. Mercer says "The site is 250 acres, so we have one large outdoor canteen near the packhouse which can seat about 160 and another 3 smaller versions dotted around so that people do not have to waste time travelling from one side of the farm to the other for their lunch or breaks".

Another thing you notice about the staff at Well Pict Portugal is that even thouguh they are working outdoors in a hot dusty environment they are all wearing WPE clothing. Each department is given coloured overalls to identify them, staff are issued with WPE polo shirts and caps. Although some may not think it worthwhile Mercer believes it helps to  create a strong team spirit, "we want our workers to feel proud of their work and having a uniform helps people to feel that they belong, and it also helps us in the community, people recognise our staff and our vehicles because they all carry the Well Pict European logo. This team spirit has helped us become an employer that people want to work for."

November 2005