Prince Charles Wants Brits To Harvest Crops Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Prince Charles reportedly put out an important message for British citizens, urging them to help farmers harvest crops during the coronavirus pandemic.

In support of the Pick for Britain campaign, the Prince of Wales recently appealed to the public in a video shared on the Clarence House Twitter account on Tuesday (May 19). In the clip, the royal is surrounded by a wide expanse of green pastures while explaining that people are needed to harvest crops for food supply.

In the video campaign, Prince Charles, 71, said that though many of the people’s normal whereabouts and routines have been “challenged,” the food and farming sector is definitely not an exception. The royal also added that if British fruit and vegetables are aimed for harvest this year, they need an “army of people” to help out.

“Food does not happen by magic,” Charles explained in the video. “It all begins with our remarkable farmers and growers. If the last few weeks have proved anything, it is that food is precious and valued and it cannot be taken for granted. This is why that great movement of the Second World War — the Land Army — is being discovered in the newly created ‘Pick for Britain’ campaign.”

Prince Charles then continued by saying that more people are needed for harvesting so that the crops won’t turn out spoiled. Raspberries, strawberries and lettuce are among the few from the many other food crops that are originally picked by migrant workers. Yet for now, many of these harvesters cannot enter the country due to COVID-19.

Consequently, the 71-year-old royal also compared the “Pick for Britain” campaign to the Women’s Land Army created during World War II. The movement paved the way for women to work in agriculture and farming in order to help generate food produce. The women who worked for the organization were commonly known as “Land Girls.”

Meanwhile, in the upcoming months, Prince Charles continued to note how thousands of people will be needed to help bring in the crops. And though the process comes as an ordeal, the royal emphasized its timely relevance in the wake of the global health crisis.

“[It] is hugely important if we are to avoid the growing crops going to waste,” the Prince of Wales shared. “Now, I do not doubt that the work will be unglamorous and, at times, challenging, but it is of the utmost importance and at the height of this global pandemic you will be making a vital contribution to the national effort.”