The government has announced the continuation of the seasonal worker scheme for 2025.
The scheme will provide a total of 43,000 seasonal worker visas for horticulture and 2,000 for poultry next year, a decrease of 2,000 visas for the horticulture sector compared to last year.
The government said the announcement would provide certainty and help the sector secure the labour and skills needed to bring high-quality British produce including strawberries, rhubarb, turkey and daffodils to market.
Rishi Sunak’s administration had confirmed the scheme would be extended for five years in May, however, the new Labour government was yet to confirm it would continue that commitment or announce the numbers of visas on the scheme.
Last week, NFU president Tom Bradshaw said the government was suffering from “policy paralysis” on key food production issues, and called for more certainty around the long-term future and shape of the seasonal worker scheme.
He has now welcomed the announcement saying it will be a “relief” to farmers, “but farming and growing businesses don’t just work on year-to-year production cycles, they plan their business operations years ahead”.
“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,” said Bradshaw. “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.”
He also took the opportunity to reiterate calls for a government response to the Migration Advisory Committee recommendations.
Defra has also published the 2023 seasonal workers survey report, which has revealed 91% of respondents reported a positive experience from their time in the UK and 95% expressed a desire to return.
“We are very pleased by the results from the Seasonal Worker Survey, which reported an overwhelmingly positive response from workers,” said Nick Marston, chairman of British Berry Growers.
“To further improve the scheme, British Berry Growers would encourage the government to commit to a 5-year rolling scheme to give growers greater confidence and surety when investing in future production, and additionally to extend the scheme from 6 months to 9 months to better align with the UK growing season,” he added.
Read more: NFU president Tom Bradshaw hits out at government’s food sector ‘policy paralysis’
The government said it was working with the 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. It is also working with international partners to ensure workers know what to expect before they arrive and can avoid unnecessary costs and fees.
“This government recognises that food security is national security, and this can only be achieved by supporting food and farming businesses,” said food security minister Daniel Zeichner. “Confirming the seasonal worker visa allocation for 2025 gives growers and producers certainty, allowing them to plan ahead and secure the labour they need to grow and thrive.”
Alongside extending the scheme, the government has also announced new measures on egg and poultry labelling to help farmers deal with the impact of future bird flu outbreaks.
The measures, announced in August, mean eggs from free-range birds can continue to be labelled as such even during mandatory housing measures, and will be laid before parliament on 4 November. They are expected to take effect in January 2025.
They would ensure a level playing field for UK free-range egg producers against producers in the EU, Defra said.
A consultation on introducing similar measures for the labelling of free-range poultry is also being launched, it added.
This would see the removal of current restrictions which mean free-range poultry can only be labelled as such for 12 weeks after the introduction of housing measures, and the removal of the need for optional indicator certificates to accompany imported poultry meat.
The government is also taking action to boost fairness across the food supply chain and ensure producers receive a fair price for their livestock, by bringing forward legislation to mandate sheep carcase classification and price reporting.
This change would bring the sheep sector in line with the beef and pork sectors.
No comments yet