A Laurencekirk fruit farm accused of housing workers in “overcrowded and undignified” conditions has blasted the claims against them.
Castleton Farm, in South Aberdeenshire, was last week bombarded with “spiteful and mean” online comments following the airing of an STV News programme.
The report produced by ITV News alleged that temporary workers at Castleton Farm were jammed into “tiny” caravans with “barely any room to move”.
It also claimed that married couple and farm owners Ross and Anna Mitchell, both 43, were ripping off their workforce by charging up to £1,200 per caravan.
It led to John Swinney, the First Minister of Scotland, calling out the conditions as “totally unacceptable” on national television.
Now, speaking to the Press and Journal, Ross and Anna have hit out at the report – labelling it “misleading”.
They also say “keyboard warriors” have harassed them and their family online.
‘Scum of the Earth’ jabs hurt Ross and Anna
Ross said: “It has been a very difficult time for us.
“One of the hardest things to see for us was our colleagues and workers be affected.
“Their hard work and dedication that they put into this, they couldn’t understand why we were being picked on essentially.
“But on the flip side of that, the support that we have had from our customers and partners has been overwhelming, and we are grateful for that.”
Anna said: “The keyboard warriors were also out in force, which was hard.
“As soon as that news programme aired, the emails started coming through to us, with really spiteful comments and accusations.
“There were also really horrible things put on our Facebook page for the farm shop.
“When you are getting emails calling you ‘the scum of the earth’ – it hurts.”
The duo were also caught off guard by First Minster John Swinney’s comments.
In a press conference, he commented that the pictures shown to him of the caravans looked “unacceptable” and troubling”.
Ross and Anna have invited Mr. Swinney to see the farm.
Ross said: “We were obviously outraged by his comments,
“We reached out immediately to him and his office, and we have invited him on to the farm so he can see the conditions for himself.”
We take tour of Castleton Farm
Speaking to The Press and Journal, Ross said he, Anna and the business have “nothing to hide”.
The pair today took the P&J on a tour around the workers’ accommodations to see what working and living at Castleton is really like.
We were given a tour of the accommodation site – which includes both caravans and chalets.
Ross confirmed that Castleton, has plans to fully convert the site into chalets one day, with “five to eight” being converted per year – with £1 million already invested.
Around half of the workers are based in the caravans.
He added that caravans are only in use in farming peak season, which takes place in the summer months where most of the fruit picking gets done.
We were given full access to both accommodation types and allowed to take photographs.
Inside the caravans, space was undeniably at a premium, but workers also had a double bedroom, kitchen space, living room and a bathroom.
Furniture was admittedly aged, but in good condition.
However, the chalets provide more space with two equal-size bedrooms and are more fit for workers all year round.
Accusations levelled at Castleton Farm
They also responded to the accusations levelled against them.
They have denied all allegations of overcrowding at the farm, and say that conditions are more than acceptable for workers.
“Average occupancy rate of the accommodation in the peak months is 2.9 – that is not crammed in at all,” Ross continued.
“We deny any accusation of overcrowding completely. Nobody has come to us with these complaints before.”
The report also detailed “old and worn” furnishings, but Ross hit back saying all damaged furniture – if reported – will be replaced.
“In terms of worn-down and old furniture, if that is brought to our attention then we will replace that straight away.
“Those ones in the video were replaced right away.”
Ross also addressed claims that the couple charge a £100 cleaning fee, if the property was found unkempt.
Ross said: “I have no idea where that came from. That is completely untrue.”
Weekly checks are also carried out they say, which audits health and safety and checks smoke alarms.
Caravan price out of Castleton’s control
The pair also answered questions related to their ‘rip off’ prices.
They explained further how accommodation prices are outwith their control.
Ross said: “The price structure for seasonal workers is set by both National Minimum Wage and the Scottish Agricultural Wage Board.
“We do not set the price. The price per person ends up at £69.93 per week.
“This bill includes heating, hot water, central heating, gas electricity, waste management and entertainment, shopping trips and WiFi. It’s all included.”
Anna added: “We have no say in the price. It is the same for every farm in the country.”
‘If workers weren’t happy, they wouldn’t come back’
Ross continued: Our business is based around our workforce, if we do not have workers then we do not have a business.
“Our returnee rate is essential because these are people who need less training, they can just turn up and they know their job.
“We are the only farm in Scotland to have central heating and hot water pumped to each caravan.
“We think our 73% returnee rate is a testament to that.
“If these workers weren’t happy then I think they wouldn’t return.”
A spokesman for ITN said: “We stand by our report.”
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