Amid growing concern from growers and packers, the government intends to end the highly successful Seasonal Agricultural workers’ Scheme (SAWS) for foreign students working on UK farms during the summer.
The reason giving by Home Office minister Charles Clark was that he believes that over time, the labour available from both old and new EU member states will be sufficient to meet the national needs for low skilled work on farms, packhouses and nurseries.
But Graham Ward, chairman, NFU Board for Horticulture, said the existing scheme, which could be modified, had been a well organised machine for many years and accepted by the fresh produce industry.
“If you lose it, will there be an equally good employment system for foreign students to come in and work and learn, put in its place?” he said.
The fear was that without some ordered method of employing incoming foreign students, except by the operators within he SAWS scheme, there could be serious difficulties.
This latest Home Office policy announcement comes from the publication ‘Controlling our borders: Making migration work for Britain’ a five year strategy for asylum and immigration’. Included in that document was a plan to create a priority points system for those wanting to come into this country. It was from that part of the plan that the SAWS scheme was considered to be low skill priority.
A recently formed 50 Club Horticulture Employers’ Association started by Jonathan Oatley Limited - an existing and well known consultancy on agricultural employment matters has already made contact with the SAWS operators, the NFU and the Horticultural Trades Association.
Their chief executive James Eckley said a temporary migrant workforce (under which the SAWS Scheme operates) should not be confused with asylum seekers.
“It seems that the SAWS could be a casualty of the government’s asylum and immigration agenda and current debate, he said. While some reports say the SAWS will stop at the end of 2006, the Home Office say that no decision will be made without further consultation with the industry.
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