More than 16 million apples so far have been left to rot due to a Brexit-led employment slump

Farmers are being forced to leave millions of apples, and many other fruits and vegetables, rotting in orchards and fields because of a shortage of workers.

One hundred tonnes of fruit has gone unpicked in Britain already this season, meaning more than 16 million apples so far have been left to rot at the peak of harvest season due to a Brexit-led employment slump.

EU workers, who make up a reported 99 per cent of the seasonal picking workforce, are increasingly choosing to work in countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark or Germany because of the weakening of the pound and confusion over visa regulations.

The National Farmers’ Union, which carried out the survey that provided the figures, believes that British farmers could be hit