It is a priority of this Government to enable an innovative, productive and competitive food supply chain, which invests in its people and skills. Defra is engaging actively with the Brexit Livestock Group, which was set up in early 2017 to provide a forum in which to discuss issues common to the livestock sector as a whole.<\/p>
Defra understands the importance of labour in supporting a successful and effective meat processing sector, and is considering how best to support the needs of the sector both before and after the UK leaves the EU.<\/p>
The UK Government has guaranteed that EU citizens resident in the UK by 29 March 2019 will be able to stay and we will take the necessary steps to protect their rights in a \u2018no deal\u2019 scenario. They will continue to be able to work, study, and access benefits and services in the UK on the same basis after we leave the EU as they do now.<\/p>
Defra is working closely with other government departments, devolved administrations, partners, and businesses so that the food and farming industry is at the heart of EU exit preparations. We continue to work with industry partners to understand the challenges and opportunities in order to ensure a smooth transition.<\/p>
Defra is also working to ensure that the meat processing sector has access to a sufficient number of veterinary surgeons, meat hygiene inspectors, slaughterers and livestock drivers.<\/p>
In the first phase of the withdrawal agreement we secured agreement on the continued recognition of professional qualifications, including Vets, where recognition decisions were received or were ongoing, before the withdrawal date.<\/p>
After we leave the EU, we must have an immigration system which works in the best interests of the UK \u2013 controlling immigration whilst continuing to ensure we have access to the labour we need.<\/p>
Defra is working closely with the Home Office to ensure that there is a long term strategy for the food and farming workforce, including the meat processing sector, as part of the future immigration policy.<\/p>
A White Paper on the future border and immigration system was published on 19 December 2018. This paper sets out the Government\u2019s proposals for the UK\u2019s future immigration system after our exit from the EU.<\/p>
For the longer term, Defra is working with industry to raise awareness of the career opportunities within the agriculture and food industry to attract domestic workers, and is exploring the potential for innovation and automation in meeting future labour demands.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4161", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Gardiner of Kimble"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-12-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "HL12364"} , {"_value" : "HL12367"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-12-28T13:13:53.91Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-12-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Agriculture: Migrant Workers"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the interests of the UK\u2019s meat processing sector and other agriculture industries are accounted for in their immigration policy after Brexit.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/384", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness McIntosh of Pickering"} ], "uin" : "HL12363"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/992799", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/992799/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
It is a key priority of this Government to enable an innovative, productive and competitive food supply chain, which invests in its people and skills. To help achieve this, we will ensure that there is access to enough appropriately skilled labour to drive continued industry growth and productivity.<\/p>
<\/p>
Whilst the UK prepares to leave the EU, Defra is working closely with the Home Office to ensure that the food and farming sector has access to the workforce it needs as part of the future immigration policy.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Home Office and Defra recently jointly announced a pilot scheme to bring seasonal migrant workers to UK farms.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3934", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for George Eustice"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Camborne and Redruth"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "George Eustice"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-10-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-10-26T12:02:14.897Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-10-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Agriculture: Migrant Workers"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the development of the UK\u2019s immigration policy after the UK leaves the EU.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1597", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Simpson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Upper Bann"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "David Simpson"} ], "uin" : "182165"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/992800", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/992800/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Defra is working closely with the Home Office to ensure that the food and farming sector, including meat processing, has access to the workforce it needs, as part of the future immigration policy.<\/p>
<\/p>
After we leave the EU, we must have an immigration system which works in the best interests of the UK; controlling immigration whilst continuing to welcome those who make a contribution.<\/p>
<\/p>
A White Paper on the future border and immigration system is expected to be published in the autumn.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3934", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for George Eustice"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Camborne and Redruth"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "George Eustice"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-10-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "182168"} , {"_value" : "182172"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-10-30T17:45:39.123Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-10-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Agriculture: Migrant Workers"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the maintenance of the UK\u2019s (a) meat processing sector and (b) other agriculture industries in the Government's immigration policies after the UK leaves the EU.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1597", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for David Simpson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Upper Bann"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "David Simpson"} ], "uin" : "182166"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/944057", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/944057/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Access to a sufficient and appropriately-skilled workforce is essential to continued industry growth, productivity and safety, and the Government is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our world-leading food and farming industry.<\/p>
Defra Ministers have ongoing discussions with a range of Government departments, including the Home Office, about securing the workforce that the farming industry needs for the future.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3934", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for George Eustice"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Camborne and Redruth"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "George Eustice"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-07-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-07-23T15:26:38.207Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-07-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Agriculture: Migrant Workers"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues ensuring that farm productivity will not be affected by changes in the availability of non-UK EU labour when the UK leaves the EU.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3958", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Fiona Bruce"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Congleton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Fiona Bruce"} ], "uin" : "165536"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/846260", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/846260/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Defra does not collect data on the nationality of those employed in agriculture for the individual countries of the UK, including Wales. It does have information on the number of non-UK EU nationals (EU27) in the Agriculture sector collected by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as part of the Annual Population Survey (APS). ONS has published data only for 2010, 2013 and 2016, available at:<\/p>
<\/p>