Page 18 - Farm labour in the UK

to fill vacancies in the future will significantly impact levels of production.
BEEF AND SHEEP
Limited data exists regarding labour shortages within the beef and sheep sector but the South West Farm Survey revealed that in 2015 almost 30% of beef and sheep farms surveyed disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement, ‘I can always find skilled labour when required’ (Nye 2017b). The meat processing industry has also expressed concerns regarding labour availability (BMPA 2020).
Many representative organisations and bodies of these sectors have introduced or advocated for measures to promote careers in the industry, through training programmes, apprenticeships and education initiatives. However, much more needs to be done in all of these areas in order to make agriculture as an industry more attractive to domestic workers and help prevent labour shortfalls in the future.
2.3 DRIVERS OF LABOUR SHORTAGES IN THE 21st CENTURY
“I think the barriers are barriers of omission rather than barriers of commission [It is] about there not being sufficient conduits for individuals from outside of farming to really see farming as a career” (Farming rep 3)
It is important to identify the reasons behind the scarcity of agricultural labour in the UK. These reasons will differ, according to the sector in question, as experiences of permanent work in dairy will vary drastically from the experiences of individuals who are employed to pick fruit or vegetables across a season. A recent study discovered three principal reasons behind the scarcity of permanent farm workers in the U.K: farm-level, local-level and national-level (Nye 2021). Using this same framework, the next section will identify the factors affecting labour availability in U.K farming today. The section is split between permanent labour and seasonal labour. While some drivers can affect the permanent and seasonal workforce, the detail for both types of worker is likely to be different.
MIGRANT WORKERS
With regards to migrant labour, due to the changes in immigration policy since leaving the EU, any workers who have not claimed settled or pre-settled status will now be unable to do so. This means that, unless non-UK workers meet the specifications of the new points-based immigration system and are eligible to enter the UK as a ‘skilled worker’, attracting new workers from outside of the UK to permanent positions in farming will be extremely difficult. Seasonal worker permits are only valid for periods of up to six months and as long as farming occupations fail to make the shortage occupations list, where it is deemed ‘sensible’ to recruit migrants for positions domestic workers are unlikely to fill, many employers will no longer be able to rely upon migrant workers to fill permanent vacancies.
Farm-level
The farm-level drivers contributing to permanent labour shortages include:
• Low pay or the perception that agricultural work is poorly paid. In reality, many permanent jobs in
agriculture are well paid (see section 2.2.2 on salaries).
2.3.1 WHAT IS DRIVING THE SCARCITY OF PERMANENT FARM WORKERS?
12