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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board on agricultural workers' wages.

The Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales ended in 2013. The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wages rates for all eligible workers, including those in agriculture, are set by the Government, based on the advice of an independent advisory group, the Low Pay Commission.

On 1 April 2023, the Government increased the National Living Wage for workers aged 23 years and over by 9.7% to £10.42. The National Minimum Wage was also increased to £10.42 for workers aged 23 and over, with lower rates for younger workers.

A large portion of the agricultural workforce is seasonal. When the continuation of the Seasonal Worker visa route was announced on 24 December 2021, Defra and the Home Office were clear this would require those using the route to pay a minimum salary to discourage poor working conditions. Seasonal agricultural workers are among the most vulnerable workers in the UK and improving pay and conditions for these workers, along with increasing efforts to protect workers and prevent them from being exploited, are laudable goals.

From 12 April 2023 seasonal workers on the visa route must be paid a minimum rate of £10.42 (equivalent to the national living wage) for each hour worked. There is also a requirement to provide a minimum of 32 hours of work every week. The usual rules prohibiting zero hours contracts, alongside the operators of the Seasonal Worker visa route ensuring workers are supported in the event work is not available, continue to apply.

Recruitment and retention of agricultural workers, of which wages are one element, were considered in the independent review of labour shortages in the food supply chain which the Government commissioned in 2022. The review focused on farming, processing, and food and drink manufacturing as sectors that are critical for food production and food security. The final report was published on 30 June 2023: Independent review into labour shortages in the food supply chain - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and the Government response will follow in autumn 2023.