The MAC (Migration Advisory Committee), which is an independent body that advises the government on immigration matters, completed and published a review of the seasonal worker visa scheme in July 2024.
In its report, the MAC described the route that allows overseas labour to work on UK horticulture and poultry farms as ‘clearly needed to maintain current levels of domestic food production in the short-to-medium term’.
What has the government said?
The MAC made five recommendations which the government has now responded to.
1. Provide greater certainty around the future of the scheme
The government has accepted the MAC’s recommendation that greater certainty should be provided to growers on the future of the scheme.
In February 2025 the government confirmed that the scheme will continue for another five years to the end of 2030. However, the government has not accepted the MAC’s recommendation that, in effect, five years’ notice should be given of any planned closure of the scheme.
Instead, it has stated that the farming sector will be given two years’ notice in the event of the scheme’s closure.
“Two years’ notice is not sufficient and raises questions about when this notice may come into effect.”
NFU President Tom Bradshaw
2. More flexible visa
The MAC recommended that the cooling-off period during which workers must be out of the UK before reapplying for a visa is reduced from six to three months.
The government has partially accepted this recommendation, reducing the cooling-off period to four months rather than the three months recommended by the MAC. This is on the grounds that four months gives a more effective balance between visa flexibility and immigration control.
3. Fair work and fair pay
The MAC recommended that:
- Workers should be guaranteed at least two months’ pay.
- Processes for refunds of income tax and opting out of pension auto-enrolment are made clear and simpler.
The government says processes to reclaim tax refunds for seasonal workers have improved but it has not agreed to the recommendation that at least two months’ pay is guaranteed.
It should be noted that, under current scheme rules, workers are guaranteed to receive at least 32 hours of paid employment each week. The government also hasn’t accepted that workers should be excluded from pension auto-enrolment rules as to do so would undermine the policy intent to encourage pension provision across the economy.
4. Tighten, communicate and enforce employee rights
The government accepts the principle of the recommendation and stated that the newly created Fair Work Agency is the most appropriate vehicle to achieve this aim.
5. Give consideration to the Employer Pays Principle
The recommendation to consider the EPP (Employer Pays Principle) was, in effect, accepted by the government last year when a feasibility study into the application of EPP was completed last year and a report published in July 2025. The government has since confirmed that it has no intention to mandate the EPP.
Two years’ notice not enough
Responding to the update from the government, NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “Seasonal workers that come to the UK play a vital and valued role in our domestic food production, planting, picking and packing the nations food.
“We’ve previously welcomed the five year extension to the Seasonal Worker Scheme to 2029, but long-term certainty is essential. A rolling five-year SWS in place for the long-term is needed to give farmers and growers the confidence to plan and invest for the future.
“While it is good to see the government commit to giving notice of any closure of the SWS, farmers and growers rely on long-term certainty to plan for their businesses. Two years’ notice is not sufficient and raises questions about when this notice may come into effect.
“What this will mean for the current SWS after 2029 remains unknown, and we are seeking urgent clarity.”
