The Federation of Welsh Young Farmers Clubs has warned that farm workers in Wales could be being exploited because they are unaware of their rights. The YFC has said that the situation would only deteriorate with the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board, as has been proposed by the UK government.

The Agricultural Wages Board, which negotiates with unions representing farm owners and workers and the government to establish wage rates, conditions and benefits for agricultural workers in England and Wales, was one of the first victims of the government’s Bonfire of the quangoes in July 2010.

The decision to do away with the board has sparked widespread condemnation from the Labour Party and unions representing agricultural workers in England, as well as the Welsh government, Young Farmers Federation and farming unions including the Farmers’ Union of Wales, which warns the move will increase bureaucracy for farmers and risks sapping money from the rural economy, also want the board to be preserved.

By Defra’s own estimations, the board’s abolition will remove £9 million from the rural economy in England and Wales, including many areas suffering most from the growing problem of ‘rural neglect’.

The YFC warned this week that the loss of the Agricultural Wages Board will jeopardise farm workers’ wages, holiday and sickness conditions and even housing. This includes conditions for minors working seasonally or part time; young workers who will not receive the same level of consideration under new regulations.

However, YFC rural affairs chair Jonathan Williams has said many workers are unaware of the benefits the AWB affords them. The board represents the interests of over 150,000 agricultural workers in the UK, of which nearly 14,000 are in Wales. Scottish workers are protected by the country’s own wage board and Northern Ireland has voted to preserve its board this year.

A spat has emerged between Welsh AMs and English ministers over the extent of the Welsh government’s say in the matter of AWB abolition and the possibility of introducing a new wage board in Wales. Some AMs say they should be consulted on the matter, but Farming Minister David Heath has said that, although agriculture is devolved wage control is not, meaning the government can abolish the AWB without the Welsh Assembly’s approval.

Mr Heath did promise to keep dialogue open with Wales' deputy minister for agriculture, Alun Davies, who has opposed the plans and sought meetings with the farming minister. He said on Tuesday 16th October, "This is not a devolved matter at the moment - agriculture is, but wages control is not. That doesn't stop us having a perfectly sensible dialogue with Welsh colleagues to see if we can find a way forward."

Last month, the Labour Party celebrated the success of its ‘Back the Apple’ campaign, which it claims has been instrumental in preserving the board thus far. However, Defra last week launched a consultation on the board’s impending abolition, believed to represent the beginning of the end for the quango.

Ministers have repeatedly said they want to do away with the AWB, putting workers’ wages and work conditions at the mercy of the market, but Defra said in a statement at the outset of the consultation, "Although the Government’s preferred option is to abolish these bodies, ministers are willing to consider alternatives to abolition and would like to know the views of respondents before reaching a final decision."

The consultation will run until 12th November.

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