Agriculture: Migrant Workers

(asked on 15th January 2018) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research has been done by his Department into the levels of temporary labour and agency workers from the EEA in food processing and agriculture; and whether his Department plans to commission further research on this topic.


Answered by
George Eustice Portrait
George Eustice
This question was answered on 22nd January 2018

Defra is considering the latest data, and working closely with industry to understand labour demand and supply within these sectors.

Until 2016, Defra published data on the estimated number of seasonal agricultural workers in all UK countries in “Agriculture in the UK”, which is a Defra publication. Since 2016, data is published for England only, collected by the June Horticulture and Agriculture Survey. Defra does not collect data on the nationality of those workers.

This information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/structure-of-the-agricultural-industry-in-england-and-the-uk-at-june

Defra Ministers have ongoing discussions with a range of Government departments, including the Home Office, about securing the workforce that the farming industry needs.

The Government has also commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to assess the role that EU citizens play in the UK economy and society, and how to align future immigration framework with a modern industrial strategy.

For the future we will continue to monitor the situation, work with stakeholders, and assess the current and future evidence to support our ability to secure the workforce the food and farming industry needs.

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