Face of the Day

Major Strawberry Grower Perrys Berrys Calls It Quits Amid Labour Shortage

Francie Perry, a stalwart of New Zealand horticulture and an outspoken critic of the Government’s inflexible Covid-19 border policy for foreign workers, is throwing in the towel after 40 years of strawberry growing.

Perrys Berrys is among the largest berry growers in the country and appears to be the first major operator to fall victim to a harvest season hampered by a shortage of thousands of workers.

Contacted by The Herald, Perry, aged 71, declined to comment. In recent months she has told both customers and suppliers that Perrys Berrys, the strawberry growing company she founded and owns jointly with daughter Katie Perich, will not plant another crop.

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