Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will outline the process for the recruitment of new operators under the agricultural seasonal worker visa scheme.

The recruitment of new operators under the Seasonal Worker visa route is done by a Request for Information (RFI) process. This RFI process has been run three times to date, in 2018, 2021 and 2022, to coincide with the expansion of the Seasonal Workers visa route. A description of how this process was formally completed for the RFI in June 2022 can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/seasonal-worker-visa-route-request-for-information-rfi/seasonal-worker-visa-route-rfi-notice