Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase pension saving among farmers given that they are excluded from automatic enrolment and receive no employer contributions.

Under the Pensions Act 2008, every employer must automatically enrol all eligible workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme and make at least a minimum contribution to their pension.

Self-employed individuals, which can include farm owners and operators, are not eligible for Automatic Enrolment because there is no employer to enrol them or make employer contributions on their behalf. While Automatic Enrolment does not apply to this group, the National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) must accept individuals who are self-employed and wish to join a pension scheme.

The Pensions Commission has been asked to explore wider steps to improve pension outcomes, including for the self-employed. The Commission published its interim report on 19 May 2026, setting out areas of focus on the longer-term challenges around retirement adequacy, especially for those at the greatest risk of Undersaving including the self-employed The Government will set out its plans following the Pensions Commission’s final report, which is due in early 2027.