A new report from the National Farmers Union spells out why future access to EU workers is essential to the viability of British agriculture, post Brexit -- and says the supply of seasonal workers for the next two years is already in jeopardy.
The latest report in the NFU's series on how British agriculture might look outside the EU focuses on the labour force. It pulls together some interesting figures on the sector's dependence on migrant labour from the EU, for both skilled and unskilled, temporary and permanent workers.
The report finds that some sectors have very high dependency on permanent workers from the EU, including the pig and poultry meat sectors, as well as the egg sector, where estimates show that around 35-40% of the permanent workforce on farm in the integrated egg industry are EU nationals. In the horticulture sector, 75% of seasonal labour comes from Romania and Bulgaria. A 2016 survey of the dairy sector showed that 56% of dairy farms had employed labour from outside the UK during the previous 5 years.
The report finds that some sectors have very high dependency on permanent workers from the EU, including the pig and poultry meat sectors, as well as the egg sector, where estimates show that around 35-40% of the permanent workforce on farm in the integrated egg industry are EU nationals. In the horticulture sector, 75% of seasonal labour comes from Romania and Bulgaria. A 2016 survey of the dairy sector showed that 56% of dairy farms had employed labour from outside the UK during the previous 5 years.
Already, the NFU says, the supply of labour is falling away, with the number of seasonal workers coming to work on British farms in the horticultural sector this year down 17%.
The report argues that a solution to the farming sector’s labour needs is urgently necessary, to avoid losing a critical mass of workers. Read the full report here.
The Sustain alliance is campaigning for a Good Food Britain once we are outside the EU. Find out more about our work and support us here.
Published Friday 14 July 2017
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
