A consultation exercise is underway involving several questions on the future work of the Gangmaster Licensing Authority (GLA).

Consultation documents are now available for interested parties and the GLA will hold a series of regional events to outline the issues in the consultation and canvas trade opinion.

The key questions include:

• who should qualify for a licence?

• how should labour providers apply for licences?

• should all those responsible within the labour provider for authorising contracts be named on the licence?

• does the application process place unnecessary burdens on those applying?

• how much should a licence should cost?

• how labour providers should be audited.

From April 2006 providers of labour to the UK food and agricultural industry will be able to apply for a licence from the GLA. From the autumn of 2006 it will be an offence to provide labour to the UK food and agricultural industry without a licence. It will also be an offence to use an unlicensed labour provider.

The full consultation document can be found online at www.gla.cov.uk or copies can be requested by phone on 0845 602 5020. The consultation document is also available as a PDF file from the Fresh Produce Consortium office (01733 237117).

Closing date for comments is December 12. And before then the GLA events will take place on October 28 (Brighton); November 1 (Northern Ireland); November 25 (Mid-Worcestershire); December 2 (Morecambe); December 9 (Penzance); and December 9 (Boston) Events are also planned but not yet confirmed for northwest Norfolk, Paisley and Renfrewshire and Wales.

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