Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme

Thursday 27 January 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The seasonal agricultural workers scheme has been extended until 2024 to support both edible and ornamental horticulture.
  • The scheme currently offers 30,000 visas, with the potential to increase to 40,000 if necessary.
  • The Secretary of State mentioned personal experience working in the soft fruit industry in Scotland, highlighting the importance of the seasonal workers scheme.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Philippa Whitford SNP
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The seasonal agricultural workers scheme supports both edible and ornamental horticulture, with currently 30,000 visas available. However, the National Farmers Union of Scotland has warned that millions of pounds-worth of crops may go unharvested due to insufficient visa numbers.

Question

What assessment has been made of the potential effect of winding down the seasonal agricultural workers scheme on the food and drink sector?

Answer from George Eustice

We are not winding down the seasonal agricultural workers scheme; in fact, we have now extended it until 2024 and it supports both edible and ornamental horticulture. There are 30,000 visas already available, with the potential to increase that to 40,000 if there is demand.

Answered
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Q2 Philippa Whitford SNP
Immigration Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The National Farmers Union of Scotland has warned that insufficient visa numbers will result in millions of pounds-worth of crops going unharvested, as the government's scheme only allows for 30,000 visas compared to the estimated need of 70,000.

Question

Instead of the 70,000 seasonal agricultural workers needed across the UK, the Government are limiting visas to 30,000, which is less than half of what is required. Will the Secretary of State explain why the UK Government are not providing enough of the visas required?

Answer from George Eustice

As the hon. Lady may know, I worked in the soft fruit industry before coming into politics, so I am very familiar with the soft fruit industry in Scotland. It is one of the reasons why the Government have put in place the seasonal workers scheme, and we have had such a scheme since the second world war. Last year, we had a scheme with 30,000 visas, but only just over 25,000 were required. Many settled EU citizens will also continue to return to do seasonal work and we judge that 30,000 is probably the right number.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The MP asked for an explanation regarding why visas are limited to 30,000 when more are needed, but the answer did not provide a specific reason for this limitation.

How: As The Hon. Lady May Know, I Worked In The Soft Fruit Industry Before Coming Into Politics, So I Am Very Familiar With The Soft Fruit Industry In Scotland.

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