Bitter fruit: the dark underside of the booming NSW blueberry industry

I an*, a retired farmer, refers to the two Solomon Islanders living on his farm as “emancipated slaves”. He met James* sitting on the veranda of a house near a blueberry farm on the NSW mid-north coast. He stopped to chat, as he does with many of the blueberry workers in the area.

James explained that he was in debt to the farmer for repairs on his car. His passport had been taken, his wages docked and he had no money for food.

Ian gave him his number, and a few days later James called. He now lives at Ian’s farm.

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Helping seasonal blueberry workers has become Ian’s mission.

He hands out cards offering support phone numbers in supermarkets, at the local services club and in the street to workers from the Pacific islands , Asia and Europe who flock to