Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of year-round labour the food and farming sector will require to remain productive and profitable after the UK leaves the EU.

Defra is considering the latest data, and working with industry to understand labour demand and supply, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements.

It is a key priority of this Government to enable an innovative, productive and competitive food supply chain, which invests in its people and skills.

We have announced that the Government will introduce a new pilot scheme for 2019 and 2020 enabling up to 2500 non-EEA migrant workers to come to the UK to undertake seasonal employment in the edible Horticultural sector.

As the UK prepares to leave the EU, Defra is working closely with the Home Office on the UK’s future immigration policy framework. Defra is also working with industry to raise awareness of the career opportunities within the agriculture and food industry to attract domestic workers, and is exploring the potential for innovation and automation in meeting future food and farming labour demands.