Governments ‘must show support and recognise need for migrant workers’

Brexit: Access to seasonal labour is crucial for Scotland’s farming industry, says SRUC report

The UK and Scottish governments have been told they need to make a clearer commitment to supporting Britain’s horticultural industry in order to manage business and worker uncertainty.

That is the overriding message in a new study of seasonal agricultural workers by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) which also states that governments need to accept the need for access to sufficient numbers of migrant workers.

The study, which was commissioned by the Scottish Government, estimates that there were 9,255 seasonal migrant workers engaged in Scottish agriculture during 2017, including 900 employed directly by labour providers.

The majority of these workers were involved in picking soft fruit, but they were also employed in the field vegetable and potato sectors.

Approximately 40% of the surveyed workers said they would return to Scotland in 2018, while unlikely to return due commitments.

Nearly half (46%) were uncertain about whether they would return in 2018. 12% were to other

Meanwhile, the research revealed that nearly two-thirds of farmers who employ migrant seasonal workers would probably have to switch to other agricultural activities if they did not have access to this workforce, and more than half of the farmers said they may diversify their business into non-agricultural activities in future.

The recommendations emphasise that supportive government statements are a clear way of reducing uncertainty and would improve confidence in future horticultural investment and expansion.

The report also states that governments should engage directly with migrant workers and reassure them that they are welcome and valued.

As well as reinstating a Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS), the report advises the horticultural sector and governments to consider ways of increasing access to wider labour markets beyond the current emphasis on Bulgaria and Romania, which currently make up 60% of the seasonal migrant workforce.

Steven Thomson, senior agricultural economist at SRUC, said the report highlighted the importance of retaining access to the seasonal labour in order for Scotland to remain competitive in an increasingly global industry.

There were estimated to be more than 9,200 seasonal migrant workers in Scotland last year.