Memorandum submitted by the National Farmers'
Union (NFU)
MANAGING MIGRATION;
THE POINTS-BASED
SYSTEM
The NFU welcomes the opportunity to respond
to this consultation on Managing Migration; the Points Based System.
The NFU represents the interests of approximately 55.000 agricultural
and horticultural businesses, some of whom are affected by the
recent and proposed changes to UK migration management generally,
and the phasing out of sector-specific schemes including the Seasonal
Agricultural Worker's Scheme (SAWS) in particular. We have consulted
with our members, through our own internal consultation process,
and this response reflects their views.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The NFU would like the Government to understand
and distinguish between short duration, fixed term sector based
schemes without any route into permanent UK settlement, and migration
tracks leading to opportunities for permanent UK settlement
This is because agriculture and horticulture are
industries in which many sectors have seasonal demands for skilled
and unskilled labour to carry out seasonal activities including
planting and harvesting. Traditionally, seasonal labour supplies
have been met in part by the use of migrant workers and students.
Increasingly, in recent years, this demand has been met by migrant
workers from the EU and East European countries. It is accepted
that access to EU labour is affected by the particular transitional
provisions in place at that time. However, the transitional provisions
on Bulgaria and Romania (the A2s) introduced with their entry
to the EU on 1 January 2007 have also impacted on the Seasonal
Agricultural Worker's Scheme (SAWS) which has since been closed
to Non-EU students, and opened instead to general workers from
the A2 member states. Consequently, at a time when interest by
nationals of the EU 25 (all EU member states except the A2s) in
UK agriculture and horticulture is in decline, access to non-EU
students through the original SAWS scheme has been closed by the
present migration policy. The NFU requests the restoration of
a Non-EU circular migration scheme open to agricultural and horticultural
workers.
The Working Holiday Maker scheme has also been
a useful source of agricultural labour. It has provided a route
for young adults aged 17-30 from the Commonwealth and some other
classes of British subject to come to the UK for up to two years
during which they can undertake up to 12 months of work. This
scheme has facilitated skilled and semi-skilled workers from Australia,
New Zealand and South Africa to work in the UK extending our access
to skilled sheep shearers and experienced arable harvest workers.
The Working Holiday Maker scheme is imminently to be replaced
by the new Youth Mobility Tier. It is hoped that the new scheme
will not result in prohibitive entry criteria putting it out of
reach of agricultural workers.
INTRODUCTION
The introduction of the Point Based System is
the largest wholesale reform of UK migration policies for some
decades. It is charged with reducing the haphazard 80 immigration
categories to a simple 5 Tiers. Within this rationalisation the
Government has frequently stated the intention of entirely curtailing
Tier 3 unskilled migration of non-EU workers to the UK to fill
labour shortages. Instead, it is expected that UK unskilled labour
needs can be met from within the EU. The NFU is concerned that
the implementation of the "Managing Migration: the Points-Based
System" is producing a UK seasonal labour shortage reducing
the ability of farmers and growers to produce and supply food
at a time of transition in UK and EU labour markets, global food
insecurity and of increasing food price inflation.
UK agriculture and horticulture (defined as the fruit,
vegetable, protected crop (glasshouse grown tomatoes, cucumbers
etc) and ornamental (bedding, pot plant, hardy nursery stock))
have always relied to some degree on labour from migrant workers.
Historically this has been to perform seasonal/casual, unskilled
and manual tasks. However in recent years following the accession
of new member states to the EU, migrant workers have also made
a growing contribution to the permanent and skilled agricultural
workforce. Although there are no figures relating to total employment
across the whole of UK agriculture, it is known that within UK
horticulture 46% of growers with casual/seasonal labour requirements
recruited from abroad during 2005 (rising to 60% for field vegetable
producers and 80% for soft fruit growers). Aside from SAWS with
its fixed quota of work permits, it is difficult to be definitive
on the numbers of migrant workers employed in horticulture. The
Workers Registration Scheme provides an indication of the numbers
of people that have come to the UK, and the sectors in which they
have registered to work, but does not record those that have left
the country or accurately record when people have changed from
one sector of the economy to another.
The numbers coming to work in UK agriculture
and horticulture has risen since the accession in May 2004 of
the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,
Slovak Republic, Slovenia (the former are together known as the
A8s), Cyprus and Malta. However in 2007 recruits to the agriculture
and horticulture industry started to fall again as workers took
alternative employment either in their country of origin, other
member states or other economic sectors of the UK. A 2007 NFU
Survey of Agencies/Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS)
operators found that this situation was likely to continue in
2008 when the industry could face a shortfall of over 5,000 workers.
Table 1
UK HORTICULTURE MIGRANT LABOUR 2008
| | |
|
| SAWS (A2) | Other (A8)
| Total |
| | |
|
| Required £ workers | 16,045
| 14,185 | 30,230 |
| Expected £ workers | 15,570
| 9,530 | 25,100 |
| Difference | -475 | -4,655
| -5,130 |
| % Difference | -3% | -33%
| -17% |
| | |
|
| Source: NFU Survey of Agencies/SAWS operators.
| | | |
| |
| |
A8 countries have in recent years made up the majority of
migrant labour within UK horticulture, although other countries
(A2s, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) have also made a significant contribution
through the SAWS. Labour supplied through SAWS has historically
proven popular due to the competence, motivation and low turnover
of the workforce which was previously largely agricultural students.
Information provided to the NFU by a agency/SAWS operator having
shown that in 2006, 62% of all SAWS workers had met there target
work rate, compared to just 45% of those from A8 countries.
Table 2
COUNTRIES OF RECRUITMENT—SURVEY OF INDIVIDUAL UK
HORTICULTURAL BUSINESS (2005)
|
| Country of Residence | %
|
|
| Poland | 54 |
| Latvia/Lithuania/Estonia | 28
|
| Russia/Ukraine/Belarus | 25
|
| Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria | 20
|
| Czech Republic/Slovakia | 14
|
| Other Eastern European | 13
|
| Western European | 10 |
| Not Stated | 19 |
|
| |
Source: Horticultural Development Council, Horticultural
Employment in Great Britain (2006).
In the period up to 31 December 2006 SAWS recruitment was
limited to non-EU agricultural students largely recruited from
the Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and Russia, although in earlier
eras it had concentrated on other non-EU countries. With the entry
of the A2s to the EU on 1 January 2007 the non-EU quota of the
SAWS was limited to 60% of the then 16,250 work permits, with
40% of the 2007 SAWS quota designated for A2 nationals. On 1 January
2008 the SAWS scheme was again changed with 100% of the work permits
designation for A2 nationals only. With the change of SAWS to
an EU transitional scheme also came changes to the eligibility
criteria—where previously the SAWS had been open to non-EU
agricultural students in the middle years of their studies, it
was now opened to workers of any background and age. Importantly,
the duration of the work permit has remained 6 months, but the
requirement of the SAWS worker to vacate the UK after the expiry
of the work permit has disappeared because as EU nationals Romanians
and Bulgarians have freedom of movement to stay in the country.
Looking at Table 2 above 25% of horticultural labour was
sourced from Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus in 2005. Since then
the SAWS has been closed to workers from these countries for 2008
this figure will be 0%. However, the Home Office figures also
show the number of A8 workers applying to work in UK agriculture
and horticulture declining over this period from 22,700 in 2005,
to 17,985 in 2007, and Q1 2007 3,790 to Q1 2008 2,820.[37]
Consequently, the reduction of the A8 recruits over this period
coincides with the loss of labour from Russia, the Ukraine and
Belarus.
This gap in the UK agricultural and horticultural labour
market in the period to 2008 has not been met by opening the SAWS
to the A2s because the SAWS allocation was reduced from 25,000
in 2004 to 16,250 in 2005 and continues to be held at that figure.
Consequently, through this period 2005-08 the number of SAWS work
permits remained constant, although the composition of the scheme
in terms of both nationality and background changed and at the
same time A8 recruitment to agriculture and horticulture was declining.
Comparing A2 participation in UK agriculture and horticulture
in 2008 with earlier years is difficult as the Home Office UK
Border Agency Bulgarian and Romanian Accession Statistics January—March
2008 excludes SAWS.[38]
Tangentially, the Home Office reports declining A2 applications
to work in the UK from 10,420 in Q1 2007 to 8,205 in Q1 2008[39]
and anecdotally SAWS operators report reducing interest amongst
A2 nationals to join SAWS.
Experience of the 2008 season so far reflects a growing concern,
particularly amongst the labour intensive sectors of the horticulture
industry (soft fruit, salad vegetables) that the labour availability
problems that occurred in 2007 were not a one off phenomenon.
According to an NFU survey carried out after the 2007 season a
significant number of growers were faced with the decision of
having to leave crops go unharvested because of insufficient labour.
Not only did this lead to a loss of income for individual growers
but it also resulted in a reduction in confidence for growers
considering their future business plans. This year's season continues
the trend of 2007, and although to date the very worst effects
of the labour shortage, have been mitigated by the weather conditions,
there are a number of examples of growers that have had to bypass
crops because of insufficient labour. This can only lead to an
increase in imported produce during the UK's own peak growing
season. A situation that cannot be consistent with the Government's
own agenda of mitigating climate change, promoting locally produced
food and cutting emissions. In our view a joined up Government
strategy for food for the 21st Century would recognise these issues
to ensure that the UK's production base could supply the food,
particularly fruit and vegetables, which are vital to the nation's
health and well being.
CONCLUSION
The threatened closure of SAWS in 2010 will make the present
labour shortage in agriculture and horticulture more severe. The
NFU urges the Government to implement a new circular migration
scheme from 2011, open to non-EU workers for the agriculture and
horticulture industry.. In the interim the NFU considers that
the present number of work permits available to the SAWS operators
should be immediately increased by at least 5,000 to reduce labour
shortages and in turn mitigate the impact of these shortages on
the agriculture and horticultural industries..
May 2008
37
Home Office UK Border Agency Accession Monitoring Report, May
2004-March 2008 at Table 6 Sectors8 in which registered workers
are employed, by quarter and year of application, May 2004-March
2008. Back
38
See footnote 5 of this report. Back
39
Home Office UK Border Agency "Eastern European migration
falls" 20 May 2008
http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/migrationfalls Back
|
