Following media reports of the end of free movement of labour, the Home Office released information on what this meant for employers and workers.
It said that arrangements for people coming to the UK for longer periods of time and for work and study ‘will change’ and that details of improvements to the previous government’s plans for a new immigration system are ‘being developed’.
The NFU and its members have expressed dismay at this development. With just two months until we leave the EU, there is now no policy in place that will enable farmers, growers and any other industry (hospitality, care etc.) to recruit from outside the UK.
What is the NFU doing?
The NFU immediately sent a letter to the Home Secretary expressing the need for urgent clarity about how EU workers can come to the UK post-Brexit and to reiterate the absolutely crucial role they play delivering safe, traceable and affordable food to the British public. The NFU has also raised it at a senior level within Defra, the Home Office, Cabinet, and called for support from key industry stakeholders and trade associations.
Members can support us too by asking their MP’s to write to the Home Secretary, calling for a transition measure, such as the Leave to Remain process which now appears to have been scrapped, to be reinstated.
What next?
If no transition measure is forthcoming that provides the assurance the industry needs to continue to recruit EU workers post Brexit, the NFU is calling for the urgent introduction of a new immigration policy that allows farm businesses to recruit the workers they need for both temporary and permanent positions. For horticulture, the NFU is also calling for the immediate expansion the Seasonal Workers Pilot scheme to enable recruitment for the autumn/ Christmas period, and reach a full scheme for 70,000 at the start of 2020.
The EU settlement scheme
Members may also be able to mitigate some of their shortages for next year by supporting their workers to apply for the EU settlement scheme. While this scheme is designed to offer EU workers permanent residency in the UK, it can also be used to enable seasonal workers the right to come to the UK for up to 5 years. Read this article - How EU settlement scheme can secure workers beyond 2019 - for more information.
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