WEST WORCESTERSHIRE MP Harriett Baldwin visited one of the country’s major hop producers to help with the harvest and celebrate local produce.
The MP visited Stocks Farm in Suckley and was given a tour of the hop fields and apple orchards as well as meeting the staff responsible for picking the crops.
The farm employs up to 60 staff who come from Poland and Bulgaria each year and farm owner Ali Capper was keen to talk to Harriett about the implications of Brexit on her business.
Stocks Farm covers 200 acres and supplies eating apples to Tesco supermarket cider apples to Bulmers and Magners and its hops are sold to brewers from all over the world.
Harriett commented: “Stocks Farm is a great example of a local business. It employs full-time and part-time staff, spends money with lots of local suppliers, it works with other local food producers and is branching out into export.
“The farm employ a mixture of local and overseas workers and up to 60 people can be working on the crops from the field to market.
“Brexit poses a number of challenges for Ali and her husband, Richard, including how to get access to seasonal staff and how to secure funds to help the business to grow.
“Our hops and apples are valued all over the world and I was grateful for Ali to give me the chance to see the harvest in full flow and celebrate our world-class local produce.”