A leading fruit farm in the county has unwittingly found itself at the centre of an international 'cash for jobs' probe stretching from Kent to the paradise island of Bali.

Clock House Farm in Coxheath, near Maidstone, supplies a string of leading supermarkets in the UK with its fruit.

But, like other farms across the nation, has found itself facing a recruitment crisis.

Clock House was one of a number of agricultural businesses which used Faversham-based AG Recruitment to recruit workers using the government's Seasonal Agricultural Worker visa scheme.

It was introduced to help ease the pressure on farms following an exodus of workers after Brexit and the pandemic.

AG is one of four Home Office-backed UK agencies to handle the seasonal workers scheme.

Having originally planned to recruit from Ukraine – due to a lack of British workers prepared to work in the fields – the conflict forced the agency to cast its net wider and it sought help from Jakarta-based Al Zubara Manpower.

It, in turn, then approached independent brokers on other Indonesian islands to recruit workers.

However, at this point in the process, according to a report in the Guardian, some of these brokers charged huge fees to potential workers, contrary to the rules which surround the visa scheme and unbeknown to both AG and the farms it provides staff for.

Now many imported workers have been left saddled with debts.

The Guardian claims it has documentation from workers at the Coxheath farm which show they owe between £4,400 and £5,000 to a broker in Bali which supplied workers to Al Zubara Manpower.

The debt has to be repaid in monthly instalments – taking a significant chunk out of their wages and leaving many struggling to make ends meet.

One worker was quoted as saying he had staked his family home in Bali as surety on the debt and now fears he could lose it, adding he is now working hard purely to pay off the debt rather than being able to support his family.

Both Clock House Farm and AG Recruitment have said they are "deeply concerned" by the findings but have stressed they had no idea of the practices used by the brokers to recruit workers.

Doug Amesz, managing director of AG Recruitment, told the newspaper he was unaware of brokers charging money and had even warned potential workers on a visit to Jakarta not to part with money to brokers. There is no suggestion that he knew of the fees being charged.

Workers recruited by the brokers, the paper says, were told not to disclose fees they had paid when meeting with AG Recruitment.

Clock House Farm has referred itself to both the Home Office and Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) to ensure "transparency" and assist in the investigation.

Speaking to KentOnline, a spokesman for the farm explained: "Clock House Farm is committed to the highest standard of recruitment and staff welfare, for all staff regardless of whether they are permanent or seasonal members of the team.

"The farm was approached by the Guardian in relation to an article that the paper was considering publishing about Indonesian workers at Clock House Farm and six other farms.

"Clock House Farm responded in detail to every question and clarified that the farm is compliant with all necessary legislation and meets the requirements defined in law to ensure the best working and living conditions for those employed under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers scheme.

"All workers recruited by Clock House’s Home Office approved labour partner, AG Recruitment, were required to confirm in writing that ‘they did not have to pay anyone to receive a job offer from AG Recruitment’.

"AG Recruitment is a Home Office-approved agency used by Clock House and many other farms. AG Recruitment maintains the allegations are false and that it has legitimately worked with the Indonesian government to create a pathway for Indonesian workers to the UK. AG Recruitment is carrying out its own investigation and fully co-operating with the GLAA."

It added the farm was "unaware of any such issues" and would "never enter into an agreement with or take workers from any entity that was involved in recruitment methods that deviate from the highest standard of ethical practice".

It also highlighted the fact it was far from alone as a UK farm recruiting workers this season from Indonesia.

AG Recruitment's Doug Amesz did not respond to KentOnline when approached for comment.

However, in the Guardian article, he said his firm was "fully co-operating" with the GLAA probe.

He told the paper: "We continually monitor all aspects of our supply chain and if we find egregious behaviour anywhere, we are committed to change. In the light of [the] investigation, we will redouble our efforts to ensure that all partners and affiliates understand the law, understand their responsibilities, and understand our responsibilities under UK law and GLAA regulations in order to protect worker welfare.”

The paper added AG said the Indonesian ministry of labour had conducted an investigation and confirmed that Al Zubara had acted legally.

A spokesperson for the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) told KentOnline: “While we will not provide a running commentary on specific investigations, we treat all allegations of labour exploitation extremely seriously and we would strongly encourage anyone with concerns to contact us. We will investigate and take appropriate action if workers are being exploited for their labour.

“The GLAA is not the lead agency for the Seasonal Worker visa scheme. We have accompanied UK Visas and Immigration on visits to farms, as we have extensive experience of inspecting accommodation and interviewing workers to check that their rights are being upheld.

“We have also been working directly with the four scheme operators this summer on a package of prevention measures aimed at educating workers about their rights in the UK, including the importance of not paying recruitment fees.”