Dairy APPG asks UK government about Brexit

The UK Dairy APPG held a second oral evidence session as part of its inquiry on skills, education and labour in the context of the Brexit negotiations, raising several issues with Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill MP.

The discussion covered the impact of Brexit on migrant labour; post-Brexit immigration policy for EU nationals; access to seasonal workers in agriculture and to EU nationals in processing; government plans to help prevent the loss of skilled and unskilled staff; as well as issues specific to the Island of Ireland.

Goodwill insisted that the government is very much aware that the food and farming sector relies strongly on migrant labour for both skilled and unskilled jobs and wanted to reassure the dairy industry that there would be no cliff edge post-Brexit.

The Minister stressed that that seasonal agricultural workers do not contribute to the net immigration targets. These targets only cover workers staying for 12+ months in the UK. Similarly, students leaving after graduation do not contribute to the net immigration targets.

APPG members expressed concerns about the status of EU workers currently living and working in the UK. Although the ,inister provided some reassurance for the next two years, uncertainty remains as to what might happen post-Brexit as the rights of both UK and EU nationals will be an important feature of the negotiations.

The APPG encouraged the Government to look at cross-department initiatives such as working closely with the Department of Education to raise awareness of food and farming jobs as careers of choice and increase the appeal of the careers with UK nationals.

Dairy UK will take an active part in the government’s upcoming consultation on the role, the impact and the importance of migrant workers in each sector.