Clive Aslet’s article on ‘Modern Slavery: dark secrets of the countryside’ (4 October) blows the important issue of forced labour within agriculture completely out of proportion. Farmers take their responsibilities very seriously and are proud of the sector in which they work.
This article has failed to acknowledge that agriculture is the only industry with its own Government body – the Gangmasters Licensing Agency – expressly set-up to police labour use, and as such agriculture should be held up as an example of best-practice. It’s also incredible that, despite the article being written in association with the Home Office, the facts weren’t allowed to get in the way of a good story.
The official figures show that in 2012 there were 2,255 potential victims of human trafficking in the UK (note ‘potential victims’, not prosecutions). Of these, just 3% were linked to labour exploitation in agriculture. This is a serious concern, which the industry is actively addressing. However, what is more concerning is that there are many more potential victims ‘going unseen’ in other industries such as block paving/tarmacking, food processing and maritime – none of which are regulated like agriculture, and none of which are being highlighted by media exposés.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Hartfield,
NFU horticultural advisor
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