March 31, 2020

Dear John,

As the world faces a pandemic of historic proportions, governments face an array of urgent policy questions. Among them: Who is going to produce food in the highly developed countries that have long relied on foreign seasonal workers?

As countries have raced to close their borders, seasonal agricultural workers have been unable to enter, even as crops are maturing. In France, for example, there are warnings of a shortfall of 200,000 agricultural workers over the next three months.

In a new commentary, Kate Hooper and Camille Le Coz examine the issue, and look at the combination of measures governments are exploring to avoid critical crop losses:

• Recruiting among native-born populations
• Extending the stay of already present foreign seasonal workers
• Issuing exemptions to continue admitting foreign seasonal labor

While this approach can provide a sorely needed economic lifeline to the recently unemployed, it is not without cost. And Hooper and Le Coz note that continued uncertainty about the labor supply could encourage agricultural producers to rethink their business models more broadly, turning away from cheap labor to increased mechanization, for example.

They explore these issues—and more—in an accompanying podcast with Hanne Beirens, Director of MPI Europe. Catch the podcast here, and for a look at all of our resources on the intersection of the COVID-19 outbreak and immigration, please visit our collection of research, analysis, and commentary at www.migrationpolicy.org/coronavirus.

Hoping you and yours are staying safe!

Michelle Mittelstadt

Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Migration Policy Institute