There is a 'record demand' for agricultural jobs in the UK with one recruitment website witnessing a huge 83 percent spike in applications.
With the jobs market undergoing a dramatic shift due to Covid-19, thousands of displaced workers are looking for jobs such as crop pickers.
The farming industry has been struggling to recruit the 80,000 seasonal workers it needs during harvest.
But it could be set to benefit from new interest amongst UK workers with an 83% increase in applications for farming roles in the last month on Totaljobs.
Candidates across all demographics are actively searching for farming roles on the jobs site, with the last week of March seeing significant increases in searches compared to the last week of February.
This increase includes ‘fruit picker’ (338 percent increase) and ‘farm worker’ (107 percent increase).
Candidates are also looking more generally, with searches for ‘farm’ (130% increase) and ‘agriculture’ (66% increase) both on the up.
Steve Warnham, of Totaljobs said British workers displaced due to the coronavirus are turning to agricultural roles.
"Under these extraordinary circumstances, we are seeing a trend of workers who have been temporarily displaced who are now looking for roles they can take on in other sectors to keep Britain moving.
“The increased interest in farming reflects a wider trend that we are seeing across other essential industries including logistics, healthcare and security.”
A 'Feed the Nation' labour campaign has already successfully signed up 10,000 British people to help pick fruit and vegetables on farms across the UK.
But this number isn't nearly enough, and the industry is still looking for more people to sign up, the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said.
Mark Bridgeman, president of the rural organisation, said the government must recognise that farmers' supply of labour is in 'jeopardy'.
“We all know this is a deeply concerning period and we are all determined to do all we can to help the country through it," he said.
"A shortage of 80,000 workers is something we have never seen before. This is why we are calling for a ‘Land Army’ of workers to support farmers in feeding the country.”
