The NFU wants a long-term commitment on seasonal workers, but government has only given assurances for next year
The NFU has reiterated its call for a long-term seasonal worker commitment after the government only confirmed numbers for 2025.
Defra said this week that a total of 43,000 Seasonal Worker visas would be made available for horticulture next year, with 2,000 for poultry. Food security minister Daniel Zeichner said this “gives growers and producers certainty, allowing them to plan ahead and secure the labour they need to grow and thrive.”
In May, the Conservative government outlined plans for a five-year seasonal worker commitment, but it’s unclear whether the new Labour administration plans to continue that policy.
In response, the NFU said that while it is positive that the Seasonal Workers Scheme (SWS) has been confirmed for 2025, it is “essential to our food security and environmental delivery that horticulture and poultry businesses get the certainty of a long-term scheme they can plan around”.
The union pointed out that it has been pressing the critical role that seasonal workers have in the UK’s farming and growing businesses with the government for several months, and prior to that over a number of years when they were in opposition.
“For the many horticulture and poultry businesses that produce climate-friendly food and plants for the country, this news will be a relief as they will be able to plan for the year ahead,” said NFU President Tom Bradshaw. ”But farming and growing businesses don’t just work on year-to-year production cycles, they plan their business operations years ahead.
“As has been widely reported, confidence of farmers and growers is at an all-time low and worker availability has been a significant barrier to growth – a key mission of the new government. Horticulture and poultry businesses in the UK both have the ambition to grow, but essential to this is long-term certainty.
“The recent recommendations by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recognised how significantly important the SWS is to domestic food security and the vital need for a long-term scheme. We urge the government to publish its response to the MAC report as soon as possible, to give farming and growing businesses the confidence needed to invest in the country’s food security and deliver for its environmental targets.
“We don’t want to see a return to empty supermarket shelves or further years where £22 million of crops are left to rot in the fields and we want to ensure consumers have access to their favourite Christmas centrepiece during the festive season. We have an ambitious industry that wants to drive productivity to support the health and wellbeing of our nation, but action is needed to make this a reality. Moving forward we need to see assurances of a long-term SWS and the government’s response to the MAC report.”
Seasonal Workers Survey
Defra also this week published the 2023 Seasonal Workers Survey report, which it described as an important part of its commitment to monitoring the welfare of migrant workers.
Conducted in early 2024, the survey shows that the vast majority of respondents (91 per cent) reported a positive experience from their time in the UK and 95 per cent expressed a desire to return.
The government said it is working with industry to improve these numbers further through its farm compliance checks to ensure sponsors are adhering to their duties and undertaking welfare checks on workers, and working with international partners to ensure workers know what work to expect before they arrive and can avoid unnecessary costs and fees.
