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Written Question
Agriculture: Skilled Workers
Thursday 29th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what their latest assessment of the agriculture industry’s ability to attract skilled staff.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government encourages all sectors to make employment more attractive to domestic workers in the United Kingdom through offering training, careers options, wage increases and to invest in increased automation technology. Defra is working closely with industry and across the Government to make sure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce.

In 2022, the Government commissioned an independent review of labour shortages in the food supply chain. It considered how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour can contribute to tackling labour shortages, following a survey of businesses across the food chain and a series of round-table meetings. The report was published on 30 June 2023. The government is considering the 10 recommendations from the report and will respond shortly.

Enabling an innovative, productive and competitive food and farming industry which invests in its people and skills to drive growth is a key priority for the Government. Attracting bright new talent into agricultural and horticultural careers and having a skilled workforce in place is vital for the future of UK food and farming. By raising awareness of agriculture as an exciting and attractive career path, people will understand the opportunities available to them in the farming and land management industry.


Written Question
Food Supply
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure an adequate supply of labour in the food supply chain.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is aware of the impact that labour shortages are having on the food supply chain and we continue to speak regularly with the sector and other government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements.

To inform future decisions on labour across the sector, Defra commissioned John Shropshire to carry out an Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain throughout 2022 and 2023, considering how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour could contribute to tackling labour shortages in our sectors. This report was published on 30 June 2023 and the government response – which will also be informed by the Review of Automation in Horticulture – is expected to be published in early 2024.

At the same time as the response, the government will set out how it will support the sector to access the labour it needs alongside actions to reduce the sector’s reliance on migrant labour including via our work on automation and promoting domestic labour procurement and training.

Alongside this, the Government announced last May that there would be 45,000 Seasonal Worker visas for the horticulture sector in 2024, with a further 2000 for seasonal poultry workers, ensuring these sectors can plan their workforce needs for the year ahead with confidence.


Written Question
Agriculture: Vacancies
Wednesday 14th February 2024

Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the level of labour shortages in the farming sector; what measures they are taking to manage such shortages; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of such measures.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working closely with our food and farming sectors and across Government, to understand labour demand and supply, and help our world-leading growers, farmers and food producers access the labour they need, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements.

To reduce the risk of seasonal labour shortages in horticulture and the poultry sector, the Government announced last May that there would be 45,000 Seasonal Worker visas for the horticulture sector in 2024, with a further 2000 for seasonal poultry workers, ensuring these sectors can plan their workforce needs for the year ahead with confidence. This provides sufficient visas for growers to access all the workers they need, and if more visas are necessary within the year an additional 10,000 could be released. Reports on the Seasonal Worker visa route are available at GOV.UK.

To help support the issue of labour shortages and inform future decisions on labour across the sector, the Government commissioned John Shropshire to carry out an Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain throughout 2022 and 2023. John Shropshire’s Review considered how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour could contribute to tackling labour shortages in our sectors, including farming. This report was published on 30 June 2023 and the Government response – which will also be informed by the Review of Automation in Horticulture – is expected to be published in early 2024.

The Government response will consider all ten of the recommendations made in John Shropshire’s Review, covering the four themes of Recruitment & Retention, Skills, Data and Automation.

At the same time as the response, the Government will set out how it will support the sector to access the labour it needs alongside actions to reduce the sector’s reliance on migrant labour including via our work on automation and promoting domestic labour procurement and training.


Written Question
Fisheries: Migrant Workers
Wednesday 22nd November 2023

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on the number of migrant labourers working in the pelagic fleet.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department does not hold information on the number of migrant labourers working on pelagic vessels. The Seafish Industry Authority regularly conducts employment surveys of the fishing sector and these reports can be found on their website. Of the pelagic vessels that responded to the most recent survey, none reported migrant workers on their vessels.


Written Question
Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
Monday 18th September 2023

Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support farmers experiencing seasonal worker shortages.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Defra continues to speak regularly with the sector and other government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, and to make sure that these requirements are understood across government.

The Government recognises the importance of a reliable source of seasonal labour for crop production, and that it is a key part of bringing in the harvest for the horticultural sector. A key source of seasonal labour is the Seasonal Worker visa route, which allows a pre-defined number of overseas workers to come to the United Kingdom for up to six months to support horticulture growers during peak production periods, whilst maintaining robust immigration control.

To reduce the risk of seasonal labour shortages in horticulture, in December 2022, the Government announced that an allocation of 45,000 Seasonal Worker visas will be made available in 2023. This is an uplift of 15,000 visas compared to the allocation at the start of 2022. The Government confirmed at the Food Summit on 16 May that the number of Seasonal Workers visas available in 2024 for horticulture will again be 45,000. A further 2,000 visas are available for seasonal poultry workers to help manage pre-Christmas demand.

A further 10,000 visas are potentially available for horticulture should there be demand and contingent on sponsors and growers continuing to improve worker welfare standards. There are visas available in this year’s allocation and businesses should contact one of the scheme operators if they need seasonal workers.

There are currently six scheme operators for horticulture and two for poultry as follows:

Agri-HR (horticulture)

Concordia (horticulture)

Ethero (horticulture)

Fruitful Jobs (horticulture)

HOPS (horticulture)

Pro-Force Ltd (horticulture and poultry)

RE Recruitment (poultry)

To inform future decisions on labour across the sector, Defra also commissioned John Shropshire to carry out an Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain throughout 2022 and 2023, considering how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour could contribute to tackling labour shortages in our sectors, including horticulture.

This report was published on 30 June 2023 and the government response – which will also be informed by the Review of Automation in Horticulture – is expected to be published in autumn 2023. At the same time as the response, the Government will set out how it will support the sector to access the labour it needs alongside actions to reduce the sector’s reliance on migrant labour, including via our work on automation and promoting domestic labour procurement and training.


Written Question
Agriculture: Migrant Workers
Monday 15th May 2023

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has held with agricultural producers on the living and working conditions of migrant farm workers who live on-site.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Home Office sponsor licence regime places a broad range of responsibilities on the operators of the Seasonal Workers visa route to safeguard migrant workers under the scheme, including protecting their rights and ensuring effective enforcement of UK employment laws.

The Government keeps these protections under close and ongoing review. A new team within the Home Office compliance network focuses on ensuring sponsors are abiding by workers’ rights by improving training and processes for compliance inspectors and creating clear policies and guidance for robust action for scheme operators where workers are at risk of exploitation. Should any of the selected operators fall short in these duties action will be taken, up to and including the revocation of their sponsor licence.

The Home Office and Defra maintain regular contact with scheme operators to ensure that they adhere to the stringent requirements set for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the seasonal workers. All Seasonal Worker visa route operators are also required to hold a Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) licence, as a condition of maintaining their role as a scheme operator. The responsibilities and remit of the GLAA are set out on their website.

Defra continues to speak regularly with the agricultural sector including on matters relating to the welfare of seasonal workers. Defra also conducts an annual survey of workers, providing them with a route to provide direct feedback to us on their experience while working here including their living and working conditions. In addition, Defra officials engage with the industry and non-profit organisation led Seasonal Worker Taskforce, which focuses on practical actions to improve the responsible recruitment and employment of migrant workers into UK farms.


Written Question
Agriculture: Migrant Workers
Monday 15th May 2023

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

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 her Department has made of the living and working conditions of migrant farm workers.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Home Office sponsor licence regime places a broad range of responsibilities on the operators of the Seasonal Workers visa route to safeguard migrant workers under the scheme, including protecting their rights and ensuring effective enforcement of UK employment laws.

The Government keeps these protections under close and ongoing review. A new team within the Home Office compliance network focuses on ensuring sponsors are abiding by workers’ rights by improving training and processes for compliance inspectors and creating clear policies and guidance for robust action for scheme operators where workers are at risk of exploitation. Should any of the selected operators fall short in these duties action will be taken, up to and including the revocation of their sponsor licence.

The Home Office and Defra maintain regular contact with scheme operators to ensure that they adhere to the stringent requirements set for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the seasonal workers. All Seasonal Worker visa route operators are also required to hold a Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) licence, as a condition of maintaining their role as a scheme operator. The responsibilities and remit of the GLAA are set out on their website.

Defra continues to speak regularly with the agricultural sector including on matters relating to the welfare of seasonal workers. Defra also conducts an annual survey of workers, providing them with a route to provide direct feedback to us on their experience while working here including their living and working conditions. In addition, Defra officials engage with the industry and non-profit organisation led Seasonal Worker Taskforce, which focuses on practical actions to improve the responsible recruitment and employment of migrant workers into UK farms.


Written Question
Agriculture: Vacancies
Wednesday 19th April 2023

Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)

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 make an assessment of the impact of the availability of labour on crop production.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra continues to speak regularly with the sector and other government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, and to make sure that these requirements are understood across government.

The Government recognises the importance of a reliable source of seasonal labour for crop production, and that it is a key part of bringing in the harvest for the horticultural sector. A key source of seasonal labour is the Seasonal Worker visa route, which allows a pre-defined number of overseas workers to come to the United Kingdom for up to six months to support horticulture growers during peak production periods, whilst maintaining robust immigration control.

To reduce the risk of seasonal labour shortages, on 16 December 2022, the Government announced that an allocation of 45,000 visas will be made available in 2023. This is an uplift of 15,000 visas compared to the allocation at the start of 2022. A further 10,000 visas are potentially available for horticulture should there be demand and contingent on sponsors and growers continuing to improve worker welfare standards.

The Seasonal Worker visa route will continue to operate until at least the end of 2024 and food and farming businesses can continue to draw on EU nationals living in the United Kingdom with settled or pre-settled status to meet their seasonal worker needs.

To inform future decisions on labour across the sector, Defra has launched an independent review into labour shortages in the food supply chain. It will consider how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour can contribute to tackling labour shortages. The final report will be published by summer 2023 and the Government response will follow thereafter.


Written Question
Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
Friday 10th February 2023

Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help secure more temporary seasonal workers.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra continues to speak regularly with the sector and other Government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, and to make sure that the sector’s workforce requirements are understood across Government.

On 16 December 2022, the Government announced that an allocation of 45,000 visas will be made available in 2023 enabling edible and ornamental horticulture businesses to recruit foreign workers for up to six months. This is an uplift of 15,000 visas compared to the allocation at the start of 2022 and additional Operators have been brought in to add resilience to the route’s operation. A further 10,000 visas are potentially available for horticulture should there be demand and contingent on sponsors and growers continuing to improve worker welfare standards. The Seasonal Worker visa route will continue to operate until at least the end of 2024 and food and farming businesses can continue to draw on EU nationals living in the United Kingdom with settled or pre-settled status to meet their seasonal worker needs.

In addition, the Government has commissioned an independent review of labour shortages in the food supply chain. It will consider how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour can contribute to tackling labour shortages across the farming, processing, and food and drink manufacturing as sectors that are critical for food production and food security. It will report in spring 2023.


Written Question
Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
Wednesday 1st February 2023

Asked by: Tony Lloyd (Labour - Rochdale)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2023 to Question 120892 on Agriculture: Seasonal Workers, what the average working hours for seasonal migrant workers are at each seasonal worker visa scheme operator.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The guaranteed minimum number of hours offered by each operator and the average working hours for seasonal migrant workers by each operator is commercially sensitive data. There are no zero-hour contracts.

The sponsor licence regime - Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a seasonal worker - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) - places a broad range of responsibilities on Scheme Operators to ensure that the rights of migrant workers are protected, including being responsible for ensuring workers have sufficient work, as part of their sponsorship duties.

The Government keeps these protections under close ongoing review.