Two years of consultation have culminated this week in the signing of a landmark protocol between the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, supermarkets and their suppliers to stamp out exploitation of workers in the fresh produce trade.

This cross-supply chain approach has been a long time coming and the signing of the agreement has been welcomed by the National Farmers’ Union and the Fresh Produce Consortium, both of which played a key role in fleshing out the details of the scheme. Any fears raised during the consultation that suppliers and labour users would be at risk of having to share commercially sensitive information appear to have been largely allayed.

In the past, members of the gangmaster industry have pointed out to me that the often low rates paid to gangmasters can make it difficult for some to operate legally, particularly in supplying labour to an industry that is frequently at the mercy of the pricing whims of the major supermarkets. I am sure this is one of the reasons why some gangmasters end up breaking the rules and spoiling it for the vast majority. Perhaps this new protocol will begin to examine and tackle some of the reasons behind these illegal operations.

Maybe there is also an opportunity for this protocol to be extended into the wholesale and foodservice sectors, so that firms in these industries can also ensure that their suppliers are using legal labour sources.

This may be a landmark protocol, but there remains plenty of ground to cover.