Boris says Brexit will not harm farming industry

Former Mayor of London Boris Johnson meets school children in York, where he was travelling on the Vote Leave campaign bus ahead of the EU referendum in June. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Workers from Eastern Europe who work on the region’s farms number several thousand and in Yorkshire and the Humber there are 179,000 EU-born nationals, according to the Office for National Statistics. Some cities, such as Hull, have seen immigrant populations treble.

Boris in top gear as he warns of  Stay camp’s smoke and mirrors

Kate Proctor: They may have egged him on, but they didn’t egg him

On filling gaps in the labour market if EU migrant numbers are slashed, Mr Johnson said: “You could get EU workers and get people from other EU countries. They could continue to come, but there would be control.”

He said: “If the agricultural sector said we need seasonal labour then that would be something immigration authorities would take into account. Of course you would do that.”

“We had lots of seasonal workers on our farm in Somerset. We had workers from European countries, years and years ago when I was a kid. There is no reason why that shouldn’t continue but what we are saying is you would be able to set controls.”

He said EU migrants would preferable to employers from outside Europe because they do not require visas. Last night Mr Johnson addressed a Vote Leave rally at York Racecourse.