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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of available agricultural labour on agricultural productivity.

We recognise that it is vital that the agricultural sector have the labour they need to harvest great British produce and grow their businesses. For this reason, Defra regularly monitors agricultural labour numbers, with the most recent assessment for 1 June 2024 being published here on 15 December 2024.

To help support the sector, Defra and Home Office have agreed to a 5-year extension to the Seasonal Worker visa route. This will give farms a pipeline of workers and certainty to grow their businesses.

However, we remain firmly committed to reduce our reliance on overseas labour. Annual quota reviews will ensure we strike the right balance – supporting farms while gradually reducing visa numbers as we develop innovative and Agri-tech solutions.