Rural businesses take part in migrant labour survey

Farmers and rural business owners who use seasonal labour are being urged to fill out a survey on labour access.

The survey, which is being conducted by Scotland’s Rural Colleges, sets out to inform the Scottish Government on the issues involved ahead of Brexit.

Letters were sent to rural businesses this week asking them to participate in the survey, either online or in a paper format.

SRUC said: “Scotland’s agricultural sector relies heavily on seasonal non-UK workers, particularly from central and eastern Europe, to meet its labour demand.

“However, there is a lack of detailed information about the actual numbers of migrant workers working in Scotland and their living and working conditions.

“SRUC has been commissioned by the Scottish Government to undertake research to improve our understanding of the labour market in Scottish agriculture in summer 2017.”