A two-year pilot scheme to support UK farmers by allowing non-EU migrant workers to work on farms, then return after six months, has been announced by Defra and the Home Office.

This means UK fruit and vegetable growers will be able to recruit non-EU migrants as seasonal workers after Brexit.

Ministers say the initiative between spring 2019 and December 2020 will help tackle labour shortages during peak production periods.

The visas for up to 2,500 workers a year will last for six months.

The National Farmers' Union had expressed fears staff shortages could hamper the harvesting of produce.

Farms have been reporting a slowdown in EU labour since the referendum.

The scheme, which would run during a transition period after the UK leaves the EU, was announced by the Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The two-year pilot scheme to support UK farmers by allowing non-EU migrant workers to work on farms, then return after six months, was announced by Defra and the Home Office

Ministers stressed that the pilot will be closely monitored and could close if there is evidence migrant workers were not returning to their home countries when their visas expire.

The government said that more automated harvesting solutions will be used on British farms in the future. But it said the industry needed to remain competitive, and almost all OECD countries currently use seasonal workers to pick fruit and vegetables.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the pilot's operation will be reviewed to see how best to support the longer-term needs of the farming industry stating:

"We have listened to the powerful arguments from farmers about the need for seasonal labour to keep the horticulture industry productive and profitable."

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: "This pilot will ensure farmers have access to the seasonal labour they need to remain productive and profitable during busy times of the year."

Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers' Union, said growers will take great confidence in knowing that they will have access to workers next year after "extremely testing and uncertain times".

She said the scheme was a "recognition from the government that British horticulture is a successful, thriving sector which faces some unique challenges but is capable of producing more great, healthy British fruit and vegetables".

The UK's first seasonal agricultural workers scheme was introduced following labour shortages after World War Two.

The most recent version covered workers from Romania and Bulgaria but ended five years ago when when restrictions on nationals of the two countries working in the UK stopped.

Matthew Sanders, CEO at Suits Me, comments,

“We're pleased the Government has recognised the need for seasonal workers, and has agreed to launch this pilot scheme.”

“Seasonal workers offer the agriculture and farming industry a lifeline throughout peak production periods. Without implementing this new initiative, the productivity and profitability of this industry would have been irreversibly damaged, and we almost certainly risked falling behind other OECD countries who also use seasonal workers for harvesting.

“The uncertainty the industry has faced with regards to the process of hiring EU and non-EU migrants after Brexit has caused unnecessary volatility and restlessness so we’re pleased to see the Government has come to an agreement.”

“While many farms have reported a slowdown in EU labour since the Brexit referendum, there remains a high level of skilled workers from the EU and further afield still working and coming into in the UK.”

“At Suits Me, we are forecasting a 36% increase in members over the next three months alone, proving not only the growth of the migrant workforce but the need for more measures to help these workers once they enter the country to receive wages fairly and transparently.”

“Although this scheme is a step in the right direction, our concerns still lie with the outlook not only for the employers post 2020, but for the migrant workers themselves who rely on these labour opportunities.”.

Anthea McIntyre, Conservative agriculture spokesman in Brussels, today welcomed news that the UK government will test a new scheme for non-EU agricultural workers next year.

Miss McIntyre, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands, said: "This will effectively be a revival of something similar to the old seasonal workers scheme which ran until 2013, something I have been advocating for a while.

“The numbers are not sufficient to satisfy the shortage of agricultural workers and I do question why it will be limited to two agencies, but overall I am very pleased that our government has a listened to our farmers and acted on their concerns."

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies welcome the fact that the Government has shown it is listening to industry concerns.

But she said: “However, it is important that the conversation now moves onto the need for the wider farming, processing and allied sectors to continue to have access to permanent EU labour after we leave the EU,” she said.

“As our survey of members showed, the UK pig industry is hugely reliant on permanent EU workers to function. We fully support measures to attract more home-grown workers to the sector, but in the short-term we will also continue to stress the need for policies that make EU citizen welcome to live and work in this country.

“Without them, the UK pig sector will not be in a position to grasp the opportunities Brexit might present in the global or domestic markets.”

Countryside Alliance Political Relations Manager, James Somerville-Meikle, commented:

“Unfortunately, what the Government has produced will be too little too late for many sectors of the rural economy. We are disappointed that the proposed new scheme will be limited to fruit and vegetable farmers, which will mean other sectors such as forestry and game farming will not be able to benefit from the provisions.

“By the time the pilot scheme is introduced in April 2019, the UK will have left the EU and there is still no certainty on our future relationship. The 2,500 workers that will be allowed to enter the UK as part of this scheme provides little in the way of reassurance when UK farmers and producers employ approximately 80,000 seasonal workers every year.”