Farming minister’s response on labour survey offers hope

Farming minister Victoria Prentis has acknowledged the dairy sector’s disappointment that dairy workers were not included on the MAC Shortage Occupation List (SOL), but said it is something they are monitoring.

She made the comments in a letter to the RABDF last month, the association has revealed.

Ms Prentis wrote: “The UK labour market has changed rapidly in recent months, and we need time to monitor the impact of the new Skilled Worker route and how the economy recovers post-COVID-19.

“Defra is working closely with the Home Office to ensure there is a long-term strategy for food and farming workforce as part of future immigration policy.

“We are still considering the report you have provided alongside your offer to meet to discuss the issues it raises and will write to you again shortly once this consideration is completed.”

Whilst Ms Prentis said the government is not planning to make widespread changes to the SOL in the short-term with regards to ‘medium-skilled occupations’, the RABDF says it is hopeful there may be help there for producers.

RABDF managing director Matt Knight said: “The labour shortage is a widespread problem throughout the entire agricultural supply chain. We hope with more evidence and the fact Ms Prentis said they were ‘monitoring the situation’, they will step in before we see more farmers exit the industry.

“Having access to new foreign labour restricted has been a massive blow to the sector and particularly those larger operators who rely on foreign workers, with our survey identifying 11 per cent of farms recruiting foreign workers.

“Our aim would be for the home office to include skilled dairy workers on the MAC SOL in the short-term while the industry works on longer-term solutions to recruit suitable candidates from the domestic workforce.”

RABDF research has revealed that more needs to be done to promote farming as a career in schools, with one of the main limiting factors to recruiting domestic labour being the impage of long and unsocial hours.

The association is currently putting together literature for members to help farmers promote a positive image of working on a dairy farm, improve interaction and recruit the right workers and retain them. This will include advice on the use of social media, back to basics skills on interview techniques, writing a job description, holding open days and farm walks and selling your farm as a place to work.

Other medium-to-long-term solutions will be announced in due course.

Mr Knight added: “We appreciate the dairy sector needs to address its underlying lack of attractiveness as a career option to the domestic workforce. However, there is no short-term fix for this. It will require a change in practices on dairy farms, education and promotion of dairying farming as a career to non-farmers, which all take time.”