Members of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) visited three Kent farms and saw first-hand the contribution non-UK seasonal and permanent workers make across the food and farming sectors.
NFU members emphasised how it is already getting more difficult to recruit these vital employees, the number of seasonal workers coming to work on British horticulture farms has already dropped 17% this year, according to the NFU's labour providers survey.
The committee were told that for farm businesses, especially in the horticulture, poultry, pig and dairy sectors, continued access to non-UK seasonal and permanent workers on-farm is critical. They were provided with an overview of workforce needs across all sectors.
The MAC is a non-departmental body that advises the Home Office on migration policy.
NFU skills and employment adviser Lee Osborne said: “The MAC is going to have a very important role in shaping migration policy as we leave the European Union. We are very grateful that members of the MAC took the time to hear the concerns of NFU members about access to labour.
“They left in no doubt that the industry needs work to start urgently on a suite of visa and / or work permit schemes that offer employers flexible solutions for recruiting workers”
It has recently been announced that the Home Office intends to commission the Migration Advisory Committee to look at the UK labour market and the reliance on EU migrant labour across sectors.