Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Migrant workers
Much of the work in agriculture and food processing is seasonal, short-term and low skilled. This requires a flexible workforce commonly made up of people working under various forms of casual, temporary and seasonal contracts. More than half of the workers in these industries come from overseas.
In 2005 it was estimated there were more than 600 000 temporary jobs in agriculture and agriculture food production on farms and in farm factories (pack houses) in GB. There were also a further 150 000 jobs in food processing and manufacturing. Up to 200 000 workers were also thought to be working illegally in the agriculture and food processing industries - mainly people from outside the EU who do not hold current visas to work.
Because reporting of accidents and cases of ill health in the industry is generally poor it is difficult to estimate how many non-fatal injuries and cases of ill health there have been among overseas workers in agriculture in recent years.
‘Gangmaster’ is a term widely used in agriculture to describe labour providers, particularly in harvesting, processing and packing agricultural produce. The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) was formed in April 2005 by the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 to try and prevent gangmasters (some of whom run reputable and legitimate businesses) operating illegally and exploiting their workforce.
The GLA regulates gangmasters through a licensing scheme. From April 2007, it has been illegal to supply workers to the agriculture, shellfish-gathering and associated processing and packaging sectors without a licence.
Licences are issued to those gangmasters who apply and can show that they are complying with certain legal standards, including health and safety. These standards can be found in the current edition of the GLA’s ‘Licensing Standards’, available at their website.