11
Not Addressed
Given the labour shortages facing the food and farming sector, we are surprised that the...
Recommendation
Given the labour shortages facing the food and farming sector, we are surprised that the Government chose to ignore its own Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) advice on which roles should be added to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). While we note the Minister for Safe and Legal Migration’s argument that adding roles to the SOL is not as impactful as it once was for better-paid roles such as pork butchers, it is likely to have been helpful for other lower paid roles. Furthermore, if the Government is correct that it would have made no difference then there was no downside in adding those roles to the SOL. Indeed, it would have been a powerful signal to food and farming businesses that the Government was doing everything possible to help the sector. We recommend that the Government immediately add the food and farming roles that were contained in its MAC’s September 2020 recommendations to the SOL. We also recommend that the MAC use its power to initiate its own inquiries to review the labour needs of the food and farming sector.
Government Response Summary
The government announced that the Seasonal Worker route would be extended to 2024 and released an additional 10,000 visas, but failed to address the recommendation to add food and farming roles to the Shortage Occupation List.
Paragraph Reference
59
Government Response
Not Addressed
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
On 24 December 2021, the government announced that the Seasonal Worker route would be extended through to 2024, allowing overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible and ornamental crops. An evidence-based decision on the future of the visa route will be made in 2024. As announced in the Government Food Strategy, the government will release the additional provision of 10,000 visas under the Seasonal Worker Visa Route, with 2,000 of these going to the poultry sector. This means that in total 40,000 visas will be made available for seasonal workers in 2022, providing labour for food businesses across the UK. The Home Office already publishes regular updates on the number of visas issued through the Seasonal Worker route via the Quarterly Immigration Statistics, which can be found here: Immigration statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The Government does not intend to publish more frequent statistical updates on the Seasonal Worker route. As noted by the Committee, the number of visas will be tapered from 2023, to account for an increased focus on UK resident workers and automation. Defra will bring forward further proposals in due course on additional ways to support the sector, as well as progressing recommendations from the automation review. We are confident in the supply of seasonal labour through the Seasonal Worker route.
Source
Report
Fourth report - Labour shortages in the food and farming sector
06 Apr 2022
HC 713
Timeline
Recommendation age
4.2 yrs
Report published
06 Apr 2022