About program
General Program information
Seasonal Worker Visa Program was designed by the UK Home Office in 1946. It has been phased out at the end of 2013 due to the fact of new A2 accession countries have joined the EU (namely, Romania and Bulgaria) which received the right to work in the UK freely without any Visa or permission documents.
But the UK has exited EU in 2019, and the British government has decided to renew this visa route for non-EU countries.
The new current program was designed by DEFRA and is administered by the Home Office. It is to help the UK farmers during the peak of harvest season and cover the shortage of labor.
Seasonal workers are paid the hourly minimum that is set by the government each year for workers under this program at the level 12.21 GBP.
For the Program successful operation, Home Office has appointed and licenced special organizations for its administration, which are called Program Operators or Visa Sponsors.
Program Operators include such organization as Concordia (UK) Ltd, which has been existing since 1946. Concordia works with many agents in different countries who recruit according to Concordia's terms and conditions. Concordia places workers on many different fruit, vegetable, tomato or flower farms throughout the United Kingdom, from England to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Concordia's role in administration process is to monitor farmers' provision of appropriate accomodation, wages, and compliance with health and safety regulations. Concordia provides detailed information about the farm, about types and conditions of work, accomodation; what to bring with you, information about workers' rights under the UK law, information about workers' responsibilities while working on farms.
Concordia visits each contracted farm several times in a season and checks all the above-mentioned conditions, listens to and solves the problems of workers or farmers, resolves conflicts, helps to resolve difficult situations. Your application for the program will be done through Concordia.
Criteria for Program participation
- be aged from 18 (at the time of application submission);
- have a foreign passport, valid for 1 year after the end date of your UK visa;
- be in good physical condition and well prepared, be ready to do hard physical job on the field in all weathers;
- bemotivated and positive about working 40-60 hours per week, have realistic expectations of earnings and understanding that working hours depend on season, weather, crop condition;
- no immigration intentions in Britain, be law-abiding, have intentions to work on a Concordia farm;
- no problems with UK immigration law and other countries (no deportations, arrests, problems with the law, illegal stay in the countries without visa);
- no criminal records and no problems with the law in the home country;
- no problems with health and no alcohol and/or drug addiction;
English
Basic English skills is highly preferable for seasonable work in the UK. However, you don't need to take any tests anywhere, just like you don't need to take any interviews in English at British consulate. But basic English knowledge should be of the workers interest, as they will be communicating with the farmer/supervisor.

Physical condition
During selection, preference will be given to employees with appropriate physical conditin and good health. Sometimes work can seem very difficult even for people who are used to physical labor. This program is a serious work experience, not a cheap tourist trip to the UK. If you are not able to do hard physical work in adverse weather conditions having long hours for several weeks in a row, then this can lead to the fact that the farmer may terminate your contract with you and you will have to return home after your 2-3 weeks stay on the farm.
If a worker is seriously ill (epilepsy, infectious diseases, etc.), applications for participation in this program should not be submitted. Keep in mind that farmer reserves the right to conduct a drug or alcohol test at any time. If a worker is found to be taking illegal drugs on a farm in the UK, such worker's stay will be terminated and immediately sent to the home country and the appropriate law enforcement authorities there will be notified. If a woman, having submitted an application, is pregnant at the time of receiving a contract with a farmer, she must immediately stop her application process and NOT participate in the program. If a pregnant woman arrive in the UK, she will be sent home at once.

Final decision on participation in the program
The final decision on participation in the program is made by Concordia according to its own criteria and rules. Remember! The final selection is made in the UK, not in Ukraine.

Visa rules
Concordia Certificate of Sponsorship
Seasonal Workers Visa Program operates with the help of work permit system. The maximum period of stay in the country under the Seasonal Workers Visa is no more than 6 months within a calendar year. Seasonal Worker Visa holders can work in the UK only on Concordia farms during the time indicated in this visa. However, arrivals depend on farm orders, season, and crop readyness. Concordia Certificate of Sponsorship is NOT a general work permit which allows work elsewhere (e.g. in the restaurant or hotel). Applicants can't work on other farms without Concordia permission as well. If violations of the above rules are found, such workers will be blacklisted in the Home Office database and banned to enter the UK for 10 years.
Concordia Certificate of Sponsorship cannot be valid for another person and over 6 monhts. For participation in the program for another time it will be necessary to stay outside the UK the period of 180 days starting from the date of the previous Seasonal Workers Visa.

Visa rules and period of stay
Seasonal Workers Visa Program start dates are the same as in Concordia Certificate of Sponsorship ones.
Neither Concordia nor the Agent shall be liable in case of visa refusal to the worker by the British Consulate.
A worker is NOT allowed to stay in the UK for any longer than the period indicated in the visa. Those who are in the UK illegally, will be banned from entry to the country for 10 years and will be the subject for deportation from the UK.
Seasonal worker visa cannot be extended. It is also IMPOSSIBLE to change the visa type.
Pay/Taxation
Pay rates
According to the current UK legislation, minimum hourly rate can be viewed on this link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/minimum-wage-rates-for-2025.This minimum will be paid to all workers wihin Seasonal Workers Visa Program.

But on the majority of farms all work in on piecework. The more you pick the more you earn! You can earn a lot more on piecework. Fast pickers earn from 13 pounds per hour, but please do not immediately pick up a calculator and count your potential amount of earnings, this will not be correct. You may work slowly at first, but as your muscles adjust to the work (which can take from two weeks to one month depending on the worker's fitness level), you'll be able to work faster and earn much more at the same time.

Farms sell their products to supermarkets every day, and the prices offered for them are directly related to piecework rates. For example, at the beginning of the season, when strawberries are only beginning to ripe, supermarkets give a higher price per kilo of picked strawberries, while in the peak season they can buy the same trays 2 times cheaper because the market is overloaded by picked fruit from other producers. Therefore, at the beginning of the season in the spring, the farmer can pay e.g. GBP 2.00 per tray you picked, and in the summer - GBP 0.80 - GBP 1.00 for the same tray! Workers must make the hourly minimum during the shift. For example, the hourly minimum would be 12.21 GBP per hour, and the pay for a tray of strawberries would be e.g. between GBP 0.80 and GBP 1.50-2.00. The farmer makes money by selling this tray per GBP 5.00 - GBP 6.00 However, if you pick this tray for the whole hour, then having sold it, the farmer will have to pay you https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/minimum-wage-rates-for-2025 (by law) and he won't even cover the costs of growing the strawberries and won't make any money, so at teh end he'll pay you out of his own pocket. Therefore, the worker must pick fast and make an hourly rate of https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/minimum-wage-rates-for-2025 to earn money for himself and the farmer. Otherwise, your work on the farm may be terminated after two weeks of the training period.

During the first two weeks of your stay on the farm, all workers will be given a probationary period during which you must prove your ability to do a particular type of work. This means proving not only the physical ability to do the job, but also the required strict picking standards and understanding of what you are doing. You must clearly learn all the standards, picking rules that are explained and follow them. Please do not miss a single day of this term, try to adapt to work fast as soon as possible, concentrate on it.

Working on the fields should not be seen as an exciting trip to the UK during the holidays. This is serious work experience. Prove that workers from your country are the best, then the Seasonal Workers Visa Program will exist and you can work in the UK many times further.

If all work on the farm is paid hourly, you will be expected to reach the targets. You must understand and accept the farm's work ethic where you are placed. You shouldn't work slowly on hourly basis, you can be dismissed from the farm if you are caught sitting and doing nothing, sleeping, talking a lot, or in your smartphone, smoking, if you are too lazy to work well and quickly, etc. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS!
You will be expected to be able to work at least 32 hours per week. Workers can be guaranteed a minimum of 32 hours per week, but if there are hours issues due to bad weather, lack of orders or crop failures, you will be given a minimum of 20 hours per week for 4 weeks.
Overtime is calculated in the following ways: 1) if an employee works more than 8 hours a day, then for the 9th, 10th, etc. is paid at one and a half hourly rate; 2) an employee works more than 39 hours a week and on the 40th, 41st, 42nd, etc. overtime a worker receives 1.25-1.5 rates. Overtime is paid if an employee works on Sundays and/or public holidays.
Pay slips
You will receive payslip every week, which should accurately reflect how your salary was calculated, i.e. the number of kilograms of produce picked, hours worked on a particular day, type of work, e.g. picking strawberries, raspberries, weeding, etc. Payslip must clearly state the accommodation deductions whcih farm regularly deducts from your salary. Keep your pay slips, this is a very important document, especially if you need to prove the case in the event of errors/incorrect caclulations or complaints. Complaints without copies of pay slips will not be accepted.
Holiday Pay
After working for 10 weeks and 3 days on one farm, the employee must receive Holiday Pay from the farmer. The money is paid together with the last salary only if the employee will work for the farmer for the full term specified in the contract.
Income tax and UK National Insurance contributions

All workers (including British ones) who work in agriculture have tax benefits. Income Tax (Payee Tax) in the amount of 22% of the weekly salary is levied when the amount of total earnings will exceed GBP12500. This amount changes after April 6 every year in an upward direction. Tax collection is regulated NOT by the farm, but by the British Inland Revenue, which is connected to the farm's online accounting. And it often happens that employees pay Payee Tax (income tax) even from the first salaries. After finishing work on the farm, to get a tax refund, you need to follow the link to fill out the P85 form online (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-tax-leaving-the-uk-getting-your-tax-right-p85). When filling out, choose "Claim by post", fill out the form online, print it out and send it to the British tax office (the address will be indicated on the screen after filling out, and within about 6 weeks you will receive this tax back by check to an address in Ukraine. But such a check is not can be transferred to cash in Ukraine. You can contact OnePay, who can help with this by crediting the money from the tax refund to your OnePay card, which you can then transfer to your bank account in Ukraine. Tax Refund Instructions from Concordia
Some farmers will help you recover the amount of all the taxes you have paid. You can also make a claim to the Inland Revenue for a refund of the amount of tax you have paid as set out above. But you will always be able to return taxes through specialized companies, for example RT Tax: www.rttax.com/cspa
National Insurance is a contribution to the UK Social Security Fund, which is 12% of every week's salary above GBP166. That is, if you received, for example, GBP350 in a week, then the amount of NI tax will be calculated as follows: 350-166=184, and 12% will already be deducted from this difference, that is, the amount of tax will be GBP22.

Seasons of work
1. Strawberry / raspberry. Season: April - October. Payment: mainly piece-rate (the more you collect, the more you earn).
2. Construction of tunnels and (polyethylene greenhouses) where strawberries are grown. Season: throughout the year. Payment - hourly.
3. Vegetables/Salads. Season: April/May - October, November. Payment is hourly and piece-rate.
4. Tomatoes Season: April - November. Payment - like on salad farms.
5. Flowers Season: April - September/October. Payment - like on salad farms.
6. Hops/Apples. Season: end of August, September - October. Payment - like on salad farms.
7. Potato. Season: September - October. Payment is mainly hourly.

Set yourself up for realistic earnings right from the start of your stay in the UK. Then you will really like it!
Try to adapt to work as quickly as possible, concentrate on it, understand as soon as possible that no one will do your work instead of you.
If work is perceived by employees as a sport, as a competition with colleagues nearby, it will greatly help them to endure hard work and rather get used to working quickly, which will be directly reflected in earnings. You can imagine that instead of strawberries you are picking pounds :) Such an attitude will help you understand the meaning of being on a farm in Great Britain.

Information about insurance while in the UK
Detailed information about insurance can be found in your account on our website: https://www.cspa.com.ua/uk/account.php?farminfo

All workers who travel to the UK for seasonal work under the Seasonal Workers Visa Program receive insurance from Concordia, the cost of which is free for the worker.
You may receive emergency ambulance service free of charge while you are working at Concordia Farm. It is strongly recommended to get a tetanus vaccination before departure if you had it more than 10 years ago.
It is recommended to visit a dentist for dental treatment before leaving for the UK, as it will be very expensive.
Concordia is not responsible for accidents while the employee is working on the farm. All such cases are covered by Concordia insurance and the farmer's insurance. Concordia is also not responsible for the safety of employees' personal belongings. It is recommended not to forget to lock your housing on the farm.

What to take with you to the UK (on the farm)
Before arriving in the UK

It is very important that you read all the information sent to you about your place of work before you arrive in the UK. The information about the farm you received is in your account at this link.
Once you arrive in the UK, you must follow the instructions you received in the farm information letter; if you did not arrive at the specified time, the farmer should not pick you up from the place of arrival. In this case, you should be sure that you have enough money to spend the night in a hotel or to travel to the farm.
Therefore, the employee must take with him:

1. Foreign passport with work visa Tier 5 - SEASONAL WORKER, plane ticket
2. Printed contract with the farm and printed information about the farm, which contains the address of the farm and instructions on how to get there (link to documents in the account)
3. Printed medical insurance documents (information in the Account)
4. Printed Key Worker Certificate (link in the Account)
5. Printed Concordia Welcome Letter (link in the Account)
6. Your signed medical declaration (link in the Account)
7. Printed contract with the Agent (CSPA) (link in the Account)
8. Employees must take with them money GBP200 depending on the location where they will get to. Depending on the pay period (weekly, every two weeks, every month), you need to take more money if the pay period is once a month. It is desirable that employees already carry English pounds with them (buy in Ukraine exactly English, NOT Scottish), because the exchange of pounds in Great Britain is very expensive.
9. Sleeping bag or warm blanket, rubber boots, waterproof jacket and trousers.
10. If you worked on farms in the past seasons of Great Britain on this program, and you have a P45 tax form, also take it with you. If you don't know what it is, or you don't have it, you DO NOT need to ask us where to get it and what it is.

Illegal items
You should know that your must NOT bring with you ANY illegal items to the UK, like any weapons, illegal drugs, smuggling. If someone in your home country or in the airport asks you to bring anything to someone in the UK (like some bag, sigarettes, etc) you should refuse to do so. For example, if someone asks you to bring as many sigarettes as possible to the farm to sell them, e.g. your relative, we require NOT to bring ANY cigarettes at all to avoid any possible problems on the UK border.
Working clothes
Take more work clothes with you, which should be for all occasions: wet, hot, cold weather. First of all, these are rubber boots, which the worker must take in any case. And also a warm sweater, a hat (for example, knitted) and a cap (for working in the fields in the summer).
Take with you rubber gloves (horticultural, colored), especially for those workers who go to strawberry farms (strawberry planting), flower, salad, bean farms, for potatoes, to PACKHOUSE - packing shop (for any type of products). Take several pairs of gloves.
Take rag gloves: especially for the boys who go to the strawberry farms in the early months. There, they will mainly be engaged in the installation of tunnels (polyethylene greenhouses) and they will really need rag gloves and wide tape to wrap their hands, because when pulling the ropes to secure the greenhouses, the gloves may tear, and the hands may be injured (cut). Also, rag gloves are needed for boys who go to salad farms, potato farms, etc. They will be needed in any case.
Bring 2 pairs of work pants. For example, while working in the field, we may get wet due to a sudden rain. Then, after the rain, the workers may be asked to go out on the field again, in which case a second pair of trousers can help a lot.
Bring long-sleeved shirts, a cap, T-shirts (for hot weather), work shorts (for greenhouse work in the summer), socks. Bring warm socks, especially if workers will be working in the early or late months of the year. You also need to take working sneakers.
You need to take a waterproof jacket and pants for working in the field. A waterproof jacket and trousers can be purchased from local shops in England (GBP8-10) if workers cannot find them in Ukraine. It is very likely that such clothing may be issued on the farm as a deposit (the deposit is refundable if the worker returns the jacket and trousers in good condition at the end of the work period), but just in case, take something with you at first that you can use in case of rain.
It is very important to take the necessary medicines with you for all occasions: poison pills, adhesive plaster in case of cuts, bandage, cotton wool, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, healing ointments, ointments for muscle strains, for the back, etc.
Employees must take with them either a sleeping bag (preferably) or a warm blanket. It necessarily.
Workers who go to salad farms can take a special (wrestling) back belt with them. He will be greatly needed there.
Food
It is not recommended to take a lot of food with you: lard, meat, etc. for the duration of your stay, as you will still have to get to your farm by yourself with very heavy bags, and especially if you will fly by plane, because usually the baggage limit for the flight is about 21 kg.
Take with you canned goods for the first time, smoked sausage.
Departure from Ukraine and arrival at the farm
Travel by plane

Employees depart from Boryspil International Airport. You can easily get there from the South Railway Station by minibuses and buses that leave every half hour.
At the airport, you need to find a board with flight numbers and track the check-in time for the London flight.
Then you need to go to the registration department, stand in line in front of the board with the London flight and submit your ticket, passport and bags (for special weights) for registration. The weight of the bag should not exceed 20-23 kg, otherwise you will have to leave things at the airport or pay extra for each kilogram of money.
After landing in London, workers go through immigration and passport control.
Here are the documents you need to pass this control:

- passport with visa
- information about the farm and the contract with the Farm
- роздруковані документи щодо медичної страховки Concordia (є в CSPA акаунті працівника)


Immigration officers will ask you questions in English, for example, what is the purpose of your trip to the UK (answer: seasonal agricultural work on the farm). At the border, they may also ask questions about when the employee must return to Ukraine, etc. Questions can also be about which crop the worker is going to collect, how long he will be in the UK, which farm he is going to. All this information is contained in the worker's farm information (which must be printed in your CSPA Account and taken with you) and must be answered strictly according to the Farm information. If the employee cannot answer the question clearly, he may be returned from the border and not allowed to enter the country. We have not had such cases, but we always warn employees about this.
Employees must then collect their luggage. The number of the carrier on which your luggage is located can be seen on the screen that displays flights and carrier numbers. At the exit from the airport, there are railway and bus ticket offices where you can buy the necessary tickets in the needed directions.

Buses are located directly opposite the airport entrance. When using the train from the airport, employees should be aware that they may need to travel to London first and/or use the Tube to get to the correct train station and from there to the correct destination.
After arriving in London at the 'Vicroria Green Line' bus station, employees must transfer to the 'Victoria Coach Station' bus terminal. From there, buses go to all directions in the UK and the ticket price is cheaper than a bus from the airport or a train. In order to buy a ticket, you can use the phrase: We need tickets to this place - and indicate the city in the information about the farm where you need to go.
Once the workers have bought their bus/train tickets, they should immediately call the farmer back and inform them of their arrival time at the city indicated on the ticket.
Here is the approximate language of the worker when he calls the farmer: 'Good afternoon/evening, Mr. David, we are students from Ukraine: (Ivanov Petro, Sydorova Mariya). We are at Victoria coach station. We have bought tickets to ... and our arrival time there will be .... Could You, please, collect us then? Thank you! Bye'.
Some workers will meet you directly at the bus station in the city you are arriving from London, or give further instructions on how to get to the farm. Employees must be prepared to use taxis. If you divide the amount of a taxi into 4-5 employees (in England you can order a minibus as a taxi), it will be much easier and cheaper.
When buying a ticket, you can ask for the platform from which your bus departs and then wait for it opposite the platform. Do not leave things unattended because they can be stolen.

Staying on a farm in the UK
Start of work on the farm
Once you have booked your tickets to the UK, we will immediately notify your farmer of the date and time of your arrival at the farm. Once you arrive in the UK we advise you to call your farmer to remind them of your arrival time. If the farmer has asked you to come at a certain time, don't count on him being able to pick you up if you arrive later. We also strongly request all workers to call their relatives immediately after arriving at the farm to let them know that you have arrived and that you are all right.
You must behave politely, kindly towards your farmer and other workers on the farm. Abroad, traditions and manners may be completely different from those you are used to in Ukraine.
Each farm has its own rules that you must follow, and they may differ from the rules of the farms you worked on before. If you violate the established rules, the farmer can take disciplinary action against you, which is preceded by a warning. If you continue to misbehave, you may be denied a job and fired from the farm. You must understand that your direct employer is the Farm, not Concordia or the Agent. It is very important!
Housing on a farm

Detailed information about housing on the farm is provided in the information about the farm in your account and information letter (in the personal account - Employee account). Housing on different farms is different, but it meets certain standards. Some farms include additional costs (gas, for example) in the price of accommodation, and some farms issue separate bills for this. Fees for accommodation on different farms can vary - from GBP 40 to GBP 53 per week (depending on the quality of the conditions).
Workers will live in caravans (mobile homes):

or in premises specially built for this purpose:

Toilet, shower, kitchen can be located in the caravan itself:

or may be nearby.

Living conditions will differ on different farms, but all workers will have the necessary living conditions: shower, gas, electricity. Don't expect to see "LUXURY" rooms on farms! You may live with employees of other nationalities of the same sex, this should be taken for granted. If the employee arrived together with his partner, then in this case, accommodation together can be arranged. All the necessary things for cooking are probably already on the farm.
You must keep your home clean. Otherwise, fines will be deducted from you, which will then go to the cleaner's salary.
Please keep perishable foods in the refrigerator (butter, milk, meat, fish). Put other products in kitchen drawers.

Food preparation
Workers must buy food themselves at their own expense in supermarkets, to which the farmer must organize a weekly trip. On average, one person spends between GBP15 and GBP30 per week on food. This is the case when you refuse to buy cigarettes, vodka or beer in large quantities. Alcoholic drinks and cigarettes are very expensive in the UK.
You don't need to save a lot on food. For GBP30, you will be able to eat normally and fully, eat potatoes, meat, and drink milk every day. You need to eat well in order to have the strength to work well. There were workers who ate only macaroni or snickers and drank Coca-Cola, and then developed stomach problems after 2 months of such a diet. Don't skimp on food, but you don't need to overspend, either. We repeat: it's enough to spend up to GBP30 every week.
You will cook for yourself. Don't be lazy and cook everything yourself: soups, meat, etc.

Disease. Weekend
If an employee is unwell (sick) and unable to go to work, he MUST notify the farmer/manager/supervisor in advance.
While working on the farm, the workers will of course have days off. Depending on the farm, they may be once a week (Saturday or Sunday), but there may not be a weekend at all for several weeks during a very high harvest season. Employees will work both on Saturday and Sunday, but less hours (4-5). In Great Britain, the weather conditions are such that it rains at least one day a week. It should be taken into account that during heavy rains, employees may not work, and they will not be paid for time off. Therefore, you can use rainy days as a weekend for your own relaxation. It is very important for a farmer to harvest his crop as quickly as possible, and he cannot sometimes afford to make days off for all workers at once. In this case, a queue will be organized, according to which the employee will be able to get a day off by making an appointment in advance. During the downturn in work (in mid-August or late autumn), employees will have the opportunity to travel, rest, etc. Therefore, do not miss a single day when there is work!
If an employee will take many days off due to illness, his may be asked to return home for treatment. But after that, there will be no guarantee that the farm will again wait for such a worker to work further.
Girls
Girls who come to work in the UK should expect to work at the same level as boys, so they need to prepare for this change. Many of the managers or supervisors on the farm are female and you should respect them on the same level as men. It is normal for a woman in the UK to go out on her own, meet other women or men. Discrimination on grounds of sex or race is illegal in the UK.
Health and Safety

Safety technology and labor protection
While working on the farm, you must comply with the Health and Safety regulations. This provision protects the employee from accidents at work, but also requires him to comply with STRICT rules of hygiene and safety. The employer is responsible for providing safety to his employees when performing work. The farmer is obliged to provide safety training for workers during work.
Always use caution when using tractors and other machinery on the farm! You can never be sure that the driver sees you!
Strictly follow the following rules:
• Never touch any gas appliances and notify the farmer immediately if they are damaged.
• Never remove the batteries from fire alarm devices, as this can be a threat to your life and the lives of others.
• Never touch electrical wiring when in contact with water, especially in the shower or when the washing machine is on.
• Never take fire blankets out of the home or kitchen areas, as someone may need them urgently during a fire. And it is also not allowed to bring additional heaters into the rooms without the permission of the farmer. Electric heaters consume a lot of electricity, which can cause a fire or malfunction of the electrical system in general.
• Remember, if you buy not very new electric heaters, then you should check them for suitability. Improper heaters are the main cause of fire.
• Never block emergency exits from the room.
• Make sure you know where to address in case of an emergency!
YOU ARE OBLIGED TO FOLLOW THE RULES OF SAFETY TECHNIQUES IN THE WORK PROCESS. NEVER OPERATE EQUIPMENT ON THE FARM WITHOUT THE EMPLOYER'S PERMISSION AND WITHOUT A DRIVER'S LICENSE.
Remember the golden rule: NO TOUCHING! This especially applies to technique! You are not allowed to drive a tractor or machine on a farm unless you have been assigned to this job and have passed the appropriate training and driving test. If you are noticed that you got behind the wheel and drove (even jokingly), you will be sent home immediately!
Fields that have not been harvested for many days may be sprayed with chemicals - do not eat fruits and vegetables from the fields!
Supermarkets (such as TESCO, SAFEWAY, ASDA, WAITROSE, SOMERFIELD, etc.) - large companies that buy grown products from farmers, set their own strict standards for the quality of products, the size of berries or vegetables, their color, as well as the requirements for the clothing of fruit pickers , to their, for example, cut nails, etc.
Supermarkets also set prices for the products they buy, and naturally, this price is also reflected in the rates for unit payment of your work.
Compliance with all these standards and understanding that everything is dictated by the market is an employee's responsibility!

Hygiene
Goods are not washed very often before going to the supermarket, and many English people often do not wash fruit and vegetables before eating. Therefore, employees are required to observe strict hygiene rules!
All workers working on the farm must wash their hands before entering the field, after eating, after smoking, after visiting the toilet.
Before going to the toilet, you should:
1. Leave all knives, belts, bags, gloves on the field.
2. After using the toilet, you should wash your hands first with soap, then with a special disinfectant liquid (found outside or inside the toilet).
Girls must pick up their hair and NOT WEAR gold jewelry or chains on their ears, because if hair or jewelry is found in the harvested fruits or vegetables, the farmer will be refunded the entire order or will be fined heavily, and he may even lose his contract with the supermarkets!
If you have an infectious disease (diphtheria, dysentery, hepatitis, etc.), you are not allowed to work in the field and must immediately notify the farm manager or supervisor.
Before or during work, you must report any cuts or injuries to your supervisor, as drops of blood may get on the products and all orders may be returned.
In the case of cuts (if they are minor) or small wounds on the fingers, you will be given a blue patch, which you will then have to return to the supervisor. A lost patch can become a problem for both you and the farmer (if the patch gets into the harvested fruit or vegetables). You can be fined for a lost patch!
You can smoke, eat and drink water only OUTSIDE the field and in marked places. You can't scatter garbage on the field, you can't smoke or throw cigarette butts into salad or strawberries. Violation of these rules can be expelled from the farm or fined!
You will have to sign a document stating that you are familiar with the safety and health regulations, and that you will comply with the necessary standards and hygiene rules.
Free time and cultural exchange
This is one of the most important points. Everyone wants to enjoy their time in the UK, but unfortunately most of the accidents happen when you're not working. So we have to give you some advice and some information about the laws in the UK. Pay special attention to these notes below, as several workers are seriously injured each year, a few years ago two workers died in accidents that might not have happened. Use this time to your advantage. Instead of drinking alcohol, learn better English! If you came to the UK without knowing the language, you will have a good opportunity to learn English. The main criterion for participation in similar other programs is knowledge of the English language. While you are in the UK - communicate with the Englishmen!
Return to Ukraine
It is strictly forbidden to stay illegally in the UK after the visa expires! What rights can an illegal have, or what can his future be? If a person is seriously ill, who will need him in a foreign country? This program was opened only on the basis that it is non-immigrant, and all workers return home after the program. It is necessary to understand that by violating the law of Great Britain and the visa regime, you make your next trips to this country and other EU countries impossible. This program involves the possibility of participating in it several times, and it makes no sense to violate something, so as not to take advantage of this right to participate in the program later.