> The downsides are that the work never ends and you can never take a vacation
Agriculture workers in Britain are entitled to paid holiday, sick pay, etc. Does anyone know how this works in practise in the UK, or any other Western/Northern European country? (Is their leave fixed at the employer's convenience, are temps employed in the worker's place, or what?)
The underlying assumption for an agriculture worker in the UK, who is entitled to these protections, is that he is an employee ... not an owner.
Contrast this to your parent comment which was very likely a family owned farm at wich they were self-employed. They didn't have worker protections as there was nobody from whom to be protected.
Also, it should be noted that your parent comment was speaking of a dairy farm which are notorious for being "prison sentences" - you really can't ever take a vacation if you own your own dairy farm. It's the worst case scenario that he is skething out.
In Finland, municipalities keep a certain number of "substitutes" in their payroll, who are more or less able to cope with most of the tasks of a typical farm. And then the farmers (who are considered a special class of entrepreneurs) can have a maximum of 26 days of holiday per year. These people also jump in when a farmer needs a sick leave. The Finnish term is "maatalouslomittaja".
Agriculture workers in Britain are entitled to paid holiday, sick pay, etc. Does anyone know how this works in practise in the UK, or any other Western/Northern European country? (Is their leave fixed at the employer's convenience, are temps employed in the worker's place, or what?)
[1] https://www.gov.uk/agricultural-workers-rights