While it is positive that the Seasonal Workers Scheme (SWS) has been confirmed by the government for 2025, it is essential to our food security and environmental delivery that horticulture and poultry businesses get the certainty of a long-term scheme they can plan around, says the NFU.

The NFU has been pressing the critical role that seasonal workers have in the UK’s farming and growing businesses with the government for several months and prior to that over a number of years when they were in opposition. It is good to see that the government recognised the positive experience the vast majority of workers have with farmers and growers in the UK, following 95% of respondents expressing a desire to return to the UK in the Seasonal Worker’s Survey.  

NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “For the many horticulture and poultry businesses that produce climate-friendly food and plants for the country, this news will be a relief as they will be able to plan for the year ahead. But farming and growing businesses don’t just work on year-to-year production cycles, they plan their business operations years ahead.

“As has been widely reported confidence of farmers and growers is at an all-time low and worker availability has been a significant barrier to growth – a key mission of the new government. Horticulture and poultry businesses in the UK both have the ambition to grow, but essential to this is long-term certainty. The recent recommendations by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recognised how significantly important the SWS is to domestic food security and the vital need for a long-term scheme. We urge the government to publish its response to the MAC report as soon as possible, to give farming and growing businesses the confidence needed to invest in the country’s food security and deliver for its environmental targets.

“We don’t want to see a return to empty supermarket shelves or further years where £22 million of crops are left to rot in the fields and we want to ensure consumers have access to their favourite Christmas centrepiece during the festive season. We have an ambitious industry that wants to drive productivity to support the health and wellbeing of our nation, but action is needed to make this a reality. Moving forward we need to see assurances of a long-term SWS and the government’s response to the MAC report.”