Farms and supermarkets could pay seasonal workers’ recruitment costs, says report

Content warning: The story contains a reference to sexual exploitation.

British farms and supermarkets could tackle the exploitation of seasonal workers by paying their travel and visa costs, according to a government-commissioned report.

The report, undertaken for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), follows widespread accounts of exploitation and abuse on UK farms, including a legal challenge brought by an Indonesian fruit picker against the government.

Tens of thousands of workers travel to the UK every year on the six-month seasonal worker visa, with up to 70% taking out loans for visa and travel costs, which in turn leaves them open to exploitation.

The study, seen by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) and the Independent, was commissioned to assess the viability of the “employer pays principle” (EPP) – the idea that a worker should not pay the cost of their recruitment – for seasonal employees in the horticulture sector.

It said that taking on debt leaves seasonal workers vulnerable to exploitation and that this debt can take up to four years to clear. It concludes that the most feasible way to implement EPP would be for recruiters to cover upfront costs, which are then passed to farms, retailers and ultimately consumers. This change would cost the average household 3p per week.

In response to this story, a Defra spokesperson said the government “has no plans to impose EPP for seasonal workers” and that “to suggest otherwise is completely false”.

The government will however review the study and consider learnings alongside industry partners, with a summary of the study to be made public for stakeholders to respond to.

On the breadline

Elize* has been a seasonal worker in the UK for several years, regularly travelling from South Africa to work on British farms. On multiple occasions, she has borrowed up to £2,000 from acquaintances to cover her travel and visa costs, and had to pay them back up to 20% more.

On one occasion, when she was struggling to repay a loan from a former partner, she says he requested sexual favours.

“I just want to erase it from my mind,” she said. “It’s so hard for women to try and survive in life and to find work … Every day is a struggle.”

With unemployment high in South Africa, Elize has difficulty finding work between UK picking seasons and has resorted to selling personal possessions. After selling her bed, it took her three years to afford a new one.

She regularly forgoes food and, in the UK, works even when she is sick to save money. “Some people put too much interest [on loans],” she said, “so I try not to make debts again and live on the breadline just to survive.”

UK government guidance on the Modern Slavery Act, updated in March, says companies should pay costs associated with recruiting from abroad. But this is not legally binding and TBIJ is not aware of any farms employing seasonal workers that follow it.

In the US and Canada, employers using similar programmes must cover some or all of these costs, and pay for seasonal workers’ accommodation.

The report, conducted by Alma Economics and jointly commissioned by Defra and an industry-led taskforce, considered ways to cover up to £1,500 of upfront fees per worker. It also considered alternatives, like offering loans with “fair” interest rates.

Farmers who contributed to the study reportedly relied on the visa scheme, believing “UK workers often lack the skills and motivation” to pick fruit and vegetables. However, most opposed meeting recruitment costs or passing them along the supply chain, citing threats to “worker commitment”, because the current system provides “strong incentives to work hard” to clear debts.

Conversely, most retailers and some recruiters favoured the proposals.

‘The risks are clear’

Workers’ rights organisations welcomed potential changes but said wider reforms are needed to ensure conditions improve.

Caroline Robinson of the Worker Support Centre, which advises and supports seasonal workers, raised concerns that some of the report’s proposals, like introducing a loan system, could in fact worsen exploitation. She stressed that barriers to enforcement of workers’ rights must be addressed.

She also said the report ignores other costs for visa holders, including “very high accommodation charges and penalties in the UK” and “fees to brokers in countries of origin”.

Eleanor Lyons, the government’s independent anti-slavery commissioner, said this combination of expenses traps workers in “debt bondage”, when they are forced to work excessive hours in harsh conditions.

“The government needs to act now to provide more protection for seasonal workers,” she said. “The risks to them are clear and there must be more safeguards.”

A National Farmers’ Union spokesperson said: “The NFU is aware that Defra is conducting a study modelling the economic impacts of the employer pays principle. This is part of a larger agriculture sector-wide ongoing discussion on enhancements to seasonal worker welfare in the UK. Seasonal workers are of the utmost importance to the production of UK food, fruit and vegetables in particular.

“We look forward to the publication of the review so we can assess the detail in full.”

*Name has been changed