45,000 visas for seasonal workers will be available for
businesses next year, the government confirmed today, providing a
boost for the UK’s horticulture industry.
The allocation will allow businesses to recruit foreign workers
to come to the UK for up to six months through the Seasonal
Worker visa route – an uplift of 15,000 compared to what was
available to businesses at the start of 2022. This number will be
kept under review with the potential to increase by a further
10,000 if necessary, and contingent on sponsors and growers
improving and abiding by to worker welfare standards, including
ensuring workers are guaranteed a minimum number of paid hours
each week.
The first 4,000 visas will be made available to operators next
week to ensure that daffodil growers have the labour available
for their harvest at the start of the year
The changes will provide certainty for farmers in a boost to
British food production and help to tackle the labour shortages
and rising input costs which have been affecting countries all
around the world.
Alongside expanding the number of visas available, the government
will be appointing new scheme operators to help with the
efficient operation of the visa route and help safeguard worker
welfare. A new team will also focus on ensuring sponsors are
abiding by workers’ rights by improving training and processes
for compliance inspectors and creating clear policies and
guidance for robust action for scheme operators where workers are
at risk of exploitation.
Farming Minister said:
Seasonal labour has long been part of the UK’s rural economy, and
while it is right that we offer long term support to increase the
use of domestic labour, we also need to support businesses on the
back of what has been a challenging year for food producers.
That’s why we’ve listened to the UK’s horticulture sector, and
today’s announcement will provide our growers with the labour
they need to bring in the harvest and continue to put their
produce on our tables.
More widely, the Government is taking action to encourage all
sectors to make employment more attractive to UK domestic
workers. To help with these efforts, Defra is working with
industry and DWP to raise awareness of career opportunities
within the food and drink sector among UK workers.
The Government is also working to boost automation in the food
sector, with £12.5 million recently
announced to boost the development of automation and robotic
technologies on farms, part of the wider £270 million Farming
Innovation Programme to support research and development in
agriculture and horticulture. Defra will also respond shortly to
the recommendations of a review of automation in horticulture
which was published earlier this year.
Further information
- Short term visas of less than 12 months, such as the Seasonal
Agricultural Worker visa, do not meet the definition of a long
term migrant and, therefore, are not included in net migration
figures.
