4 ms·
Most cereal, corn, and even some fruit harvest is highly mechanized, whereas many other types of produce require manual labor, so it's really not surprising. I
by Uberphallus 6y ago
Most cereal, corn, and even some fruit harvest is highly mechanized, whereas many other types of produce require manual labor, so it's really not surprising.
In Europe, there are seasonal harvests that require surges of workers, who are sometimes legal and sometimes not. For example loads of foreign workers flock to the vineyards in France, Italy or Spain to collect the grapes for winemaking. It's around 3 weeks of work, obviously not worth a permanent contract.
There were very few restrictions in those countries by the time of harvest (September) so wine prices, to my knowledge, have remained largely unaffected, but if it happened otherwise, winemakers would have been, without doubt, lobbying against the restrictions.
- babesh 6y agoIt’s amazing to me that the EU behaves a lot like the US in this regard. Same with Australia. I had no idea.
- inglor_cz 6y agoWell, it is still somewhat tricky to pick strawberries etc. with robots. There is R&D going on, but humans still win. You need to take into account that income differences within the EU are enormous. Badly paid job in Germany still translates into very paid job in Bulgaria or Romania. That is why a lot of the seasonal workers come from the Balkans. Within a month they make enough money to live off for several months back home. No qualification needed.
- michael1999 6y agoModern capitalism usually moves the capital to labor. But you can’t move sunshine or soil, so modern agriculture moves the labor to the capital.