Inspectors heard hundreds of allegations of threats, wage theft, racism and appalling conditions from seasonal workers at farms across the UK, but nothing was done.

On a farm in Herefordshire, thousands of miles from her home in Bolivia, Julia Quecaño Casimiro went on strike for the first time in her life.

Julia had worked on farms in Chile for several years but said she had never experienced bullying, discrimination or wage deductions until working in the UK.

“As soon as I started, I saw that it was exploitation,” she said. “It was modern slavery.”

A recruiter in Chile had promised Julia, 23, she would earn up to £500 a week picking fruit for the duration of the five-month seasonal worker visa issued to her by the UK government.

But she was given no shifts or pay during her first week at Haygrove, one of the UK’s biggest fruit producers, in late June. The next week, she made less than £150.

For Julia and some of her colleagues the tipping point came when they were told to repay the farm £1,500 for the flights that had brought them to the UK – even though receipts show some of the tickets cost a lot less. (Haygrove accepted that this was a mistake and is investigating the overcharge with their travel agents.)

Workers were told they would have to repay £250 every week for six weeks on top of accommodation deductions. In Julia’s case, that would mean being left with only £16 on the weeks when she was given the hours guaranteed by the farm. The news prompted employees to call an urgent meeting, during which they drew up a list of demands regarding their treatment.

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