Members of the Welsh Assembly have contested the UK government’s decision to scrap the Agricultural Wages Board, which will affect the wages and working conditions of farm workers in England and Wales.

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Across England and Wales, the decision to abolish the AWB will affect 150,000 agricultural workers, of which 12,000 are in Wales. The government's own figures suggest the board’s abolition will cost the rural economy £9 million, but former farming minister Jim Paice expressed the desire to see wages floated on the market.

The decision to abolish the board was taken when the government came to power in 2010. The board was a victim of the infamous 'bonfire of the quangoes,' which also saw the Committee for Rural Communities' future put in jeopardy. However, the government has not yet managed to scrap the AWB.

In England, the Labour Party launched its 'Back the Apple' campaign in response to the threat to the board. On Monday 1st October, the day that potentially the last Agricultural Wages Order was issued, Shadow Environment Secretary Mary Creagh praised the hard work of unions, politicians and workers, which she said has seen the board survive until now.

Welsh AMs oppose decision to scrap AWB

A Decision from Defra on the board's future is expected imminently, though Mick Antoniw AM told the Assembly on Wednesday (10th October) that, "If the AWB is not retained in Wales there is every concern that thousands of workers will be forced into poverty in rural areas as wages would be slashed as the statutory floor of protection will have been removed. The abolition of the AWB would hit many agricultural workers who work alone or in small teams in isolated areas, who will not be able to negotiate for themselves."

Mr Antoniw said the board's abolition would spark a "race to the bottom" in agricultural wages and would leave many workers without hard earned allowances for training, sick pay, leave and rest times. He said, "The upshot of the abolition of the AWB will be to make the vulnerable even more vulnerable."

The AM’s warnings come as the Worldwatch Institute, a sustainable agriculture organisation based in the United States, revealed that agricultural workers are amongst the most vulnerable and open to exploitation of any industry worldwide.

Welsh Deputy Agriculture Minister Alun Davies has also stood by the AWB, pledging to ensure the board is protected. The minister said he would be meeting with Defra next week to discuss the issue. Welsh ministers have gained union support in their quest to keep the board intact; Unite and the Farmers' Union of Wales have both stood by ministers pushing Defra for a U-turn.  

Scotland has its own wages board and Northern Ireland opted to keep its board last month.

Some farm organisations have said that, if the board is abolished, farmers will have to negotiate wages with their workers individually, increasing the burden on them, whilst others have warned that the lack of protection will deter new entrants to farming and agriculture, which is already suffering the effects of an ageing demographic.

On Thursday (11th October), Mick Antoniw stated, "It is setting a living wage and living terms and conditions for people living in rural communities. The last think we want in society at the moment is [a policy] which will increase poverty, and increase it in some of the most deprived communities in Wales."

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