The NFU has launched proposals for a new Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme which will ensure the vitally important supply of labour that UK farmers and growers need to run their businesses.
The current scheme is due to come to an end this year, unless it is given a two year extension until 2013. However, the NFU says that it wants to see a new SAWS scheme in place post-2013 that will retain the essential supply of migrant labour and also provide training initiatives and welfare benefit adjustments to encourage more UK citizens to take up a job in the horticulture sector.
NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said: “With a growing global population to feed and rising domestic demand for food, more than ever, UK farmers are being asked to provide safe, healthy and affordable food.
“Many of the crops produced in the UK are seasonal, which creates a structural problem to annually recruit sufficient seasonal workers. With a resident workforce that has a preference for permanent jobs, SAWS has helped growers to overcome employment difficulties by providing an ideal contribution to the industry’s seasonal labour requirements for the last 60 years.
“It’s a top priority for the horticulture sector to secure the continued availability of seasonal migrant labour when the current SAWS arrangements come to an end after 2011, or 2013 if the current arrangements are extended.
“Despite the poor response from the local population to local, seasonal employment opportunities in the horticulture sector, we also recognise that during a period of high UK unemployment the horticulture industry must do everything it can to maximise the potential of the resident workforce. Therefore, we are also proposing a combination of training initiatives and welfare benefit adjustments that will challenge the perception of horticulture as a place to work, and encourage currently inactive citizens into a job in the horticulture sector.
“We want government to ensure that, where there are opportunities for providing channels to seasonal labour through sector based schemes like SAWS, these are facilitated. The industry considers that a new SAWS strategy is needed that ties in all of the positives of the current arrangements with certain new criteria.
“In developing this strategy the NFU, with the support of several labour providers, is offering to work together with government to implement the solutions that are needed to allow the horticultural industry to respond to the demands of consumers and continue to compete with imports.”
Read our full proposals 'A SAWS for the Next Decade' here, or click here for a summary.
Click here for anecdotal evidence from growers on issues around attempting to recruit labour.
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