Expensive jam and lack of Swedish berries.
These may be the consequences when the Swedish Migration Agency has tightened the requirements for foreign berry pickers.
– Nobody picks the berries, says Anders Vestin, CEO of the berry buyer Frostab.
There is no queue for the berry buyer Frostab in Arvidsjaur in Norrbotten. After being open for three days, they have only brought in 200 kilos of cloudberries, compared to last year when they landed a whopping 40,000 kilos. But then there were Thai berry pickers.
– It’s not the world’s best year for red currants, but it’s certainly not bad. But there is no one picking the berries, says Anders Vestin, CEO of Frostab.
Exploited pickers
Poor working conditions and exploitation in the berry industry means that this year the Swedish Migration Agency is making stricter checks on work permits for Thai pickers. This year, 1,272 berry pickers have received permission to come to Sweden so far, and this after review in court. The year before, over 5,000 pickers came.
In Arvidsjaur, Anders Vestin’s company is waiting for roughly 300 Thais to come. But the review is delayed and the berries run the risk of drying out and being destroyed. Without the Thai berry pickers, the berry company in Norrbotten will only collect half of the berries compared to previous years.
At risk of being closed
The jam manufacturer Kalix sylt buys in 200 tons of berries annually, mainly from the local area. There is great concern there.
– We will have to lay off staff and rent out parts of the premises. If there is no improvement, we have to stop, and there are many who say the same, says the company’s CEO Hans Granberg.
The major producer Ica is also affected, and states that it may be relevant to change the country of origin of the berries for certain products.
Anders Vestin is not surprised by that.
– It will be in short supply, in various stores. There may not be specifically Swedish berries.