Gangmasters supplying labourers for work in food processing and packaging will need licences to operate in the UK, according to a recent Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announcement.

This law will cover those involved in permanent, temporary or contract labour to agriculture, horticulture and all of the food packaging and processing industry. However, licencing will not be needed by those supplying labour to retailers, caterers or wholesalers. Also excluded are short-term loans of laborers between farms. The system will be administered by the Gangmaster Licencing Authority, with an appeals procedure will be established for gangmasters who are refused a licence ore who have their licence withdrawn. The application process starts this month, and labour provider and labour use offences will be introduced in April 2007.