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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with horticultural and agricultural sector leaders in Cornwall on demand for seasonal workers after the UK leaves the EU.

Seasonal workers make an important contribution to our agriculture and horticulture industries. That is why Defra has been working closely with the horticulture and agriculture sector to better understand both their current and longer term labour market requirements. This includes regular meetings with national representative organisations covering agricultural and horticultural businesses across the whole of the UK. I attended the Seasonal Workforce Working Group myself in autumn 2017 where we discussed the latest position on the seasonal agricultural workforce. As the Member of Parliament for Camborne, Redruth & Hayle, I also have regular meetings with my farming constituents. Maintaining access to a sufficient supply of labour as we leave the EU remains a key priority.

The Government is carefully considering options for our future immigration policy and keeps its position on seasonal labour under close review.