June census highlights drop in farm labour force

There were 8,000 fewer people working in UK agriculture in 2023 compared with year earlier levels, according to Defra’s June census.

The total number of people working on commercial agricultural holdings in the UK dropped by 1.7% on the year to stand at 462,074 on 1 June 2023.

This is the lowest number of people in the agricultural workforce since records began.

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The number of farmers, business partners, directors and spouses dropped by 0.9% year-on-year, while the figure for regular employees, salaried managers and casual workers declined by 3.3%.

Split by country, England accounted for 63.3% of the total workforce, Scotland represented 14.4%, and Wales and Northern Ireland made up about 11% each.

England also had the most significant annual reduction by country in the total number of workers, followed by Scotland, while the size of the agricultural workforce in both Wales and Northern Ireland increased marginally.

Horticulture is one of the most labour-intensive farming sectors and Defra has announced that 45,000 visas will be made available again in 2024 for seasonal workers in the sector.

Separately, an independent review was carried out earlier in 2023 looking into labour shortages in food supply chain with the results published by Defra in June.

It found that negative perceptions of the food and farming sector, poor staff retention, and a lack of domestic skills and training had all played a part in creating labour shortages.