The long-awaited Agriculture Bill, which has been on hold during the Brexit debates, could return to parliament this month.
According to Jack Ward, chief executive of the British Growers Association, Defra staff have indicated that the bill’s passage could speed up following the decision to postpone the Brexit date until October 31.
It is currently at Committee stage in the House of Commons, following two readings in parliament, and is still to go through the House of Lords.
Ward said the government is keen to support increased productivity in horticulture, with “discussions taking place on what this might entail”. Clarity is also being sought on the future of Producer Organisations (POs), with a replacement scheme being considered.
Following his meeting with Defra, Ward added that work on the national Food Strategy was also moving forward, with discussions on the future role of the fresh produce sector in delivering a healthier nation.
Ward writes: “The Food Strategy is an ideal opportunity to see this message turned into something tangible which lends more support and encouragement to need to increase our daily intake of fruit and veg.
He continued: “Many new initiatives affecting the sector have been on hold while parliamentary time has been taken up with Brexit. Now that a no deal scenario is looking less likely, the Government machine will be returning to a more ‘business as normal’ pattern of operation. This should mean that the discussions on the detail of the new Agriculture Bill will start to accelerate. Expect busy times ahead.”
The BGA chief executive also said that he had met with officials from the Home Office to find a solution to seasonal worker shortages, particularly acute in horticulture, which is labour intensive.
“We used the meeting to highlight that the use of seasonal workers makes minimal difference to the numbers seeking to settle permanently in the UK,” Ward states, adding that the Immigration Bill could complete its passage through parliament later this year.
In September last year, home secretary Sajid Javid announced a pilot scheme allowing 2,500 seasonal non-EU workers to gain employment in horticulture each season.
Despite fears that a no-deal Brexit could remove European workers’ right to pick fruit and veg in the UK, the government has stated that EU seasonal workers will remain legible for work in 2019 and 2020 irrespective of a deal.
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