THE Herefordshire farmer planning to build a £5 million 'village' for foreign fruit pickers is inviting local people to quiz him by email.

"We have nothing to hide," said Graham Neal, who is urging people to contact him on brierley@sagroup. co.uk "I would rather people had the proper facts and I am happy to answer any questions."

Last week's Hereford Times' report on plans for 300 caravans, cinema, swimming pool and other facilities for 1,000 seasonal workers stirred up a media storm.

Marden-based Mr Neal, boss of Europe's biggest strawberry-growing concern S&A Produce UK Ltd, spent many hours speaking to reporters and camera crews at the proposed 'village' site, Brierley Court Farm, Leominster.

But not all media got the story right, he said this week. With controversies raging over migrants, cockle pickers and asylum seekers some in the media, and among the public, have become confused and got "the wrong end of the stick."

Said Mr Neal: "The Student Agricultural Workers Scheme is a brilliant scheme because it properly manages the workforce.

"We select the workers ourselves in their country of origin and they are vetted and subject to police and medical checks.

"They arrive on a certain date and go 12 weeks later.

"Under this scheme there is no encouragement for people just to turn up on spec in the hope of finding work. It is all planned in advance."

Mr Neal, who employs 900 student workers from as far as Russia and China at Marden each year, says he welcomes British nationals who are prepared to do the work.

The strawberry pickers work from 5am until 2pm over a six-day week on piece rates. While many earn around £175 take home pay each week the best pickers could earn over £750 a week.

lMOLLY Cooke, 70, a former mayor of Leominster, once picked strawberries, apples, potatoes, hops and other produce like many other local people of her generation. But she doubts whether local residents want to do such seasonal work now.

She is worried about the size of the Brierley Court plan but believes it should be given "a fair hearing." Some critics "should get their facts straight."

Said Mrs Cooke: "People have been stopping me in the street and saying 'what's all this about asylum seekers at Brierley' but it's got nothing to do with asylum seekers."

She and other members of Leominster Town Council will visit the farm on Saturday morning and may hold a meeting to consider their response.