The UK Government’s Home Office and Department for Environment and Rural Affairs has released its ‘Seasonal Workers Survey Results 2021’. The survey is based on almost 800 responses from seasonal workers taking part in the 2021 seasonal workers pilot programme. The largest proportion of respondents were from Russia (50%). Ukrainian migrant workers who took part in the pilot were not sent the survey due to the outbreak of war with Russia.

The survey broadly found that most respondents would want to return to work again on a UK farm. The report also notes some positive findings relating to experiences with managers and colleagues, payment of wages, and working conditions. However, the report flags several areas of improvement. Some areas of concern include the following:

• Relationship with managers - while most respondents (83%) felt they were treated equally to other workers by managers, 11% of respondents felt they did not receive equal treatment. 10% of respondents stated they had been threatened by farm staff.
• Living conditions and right to privacy – less than half (49.6%) of respondents said their accommodation had internet connection, and less than half (48.4%) of respondents had adequate privacy. A higher percentage of respondents – but not all - had toilet facilities (75.3%), running water (83.5%), and adequate cooking facilities (89.3%).
• Supplies – 12% of respondents said they received none of the supplies necessary to do their work. 35% said they received some, but not all, of the required supplies.
• Access to medical treatment – 155/693 respondent became sick or injured during the scheme. Of those, over half (51.3%) said farm managers did not ensure they received treatment.
• Grievance mechanisms – 12% of respondents filed a complaint during the scheme. The most frequent complaints were due to living conditions, treatment by managers, and working conditions. Of those respondents who filed a complaint, 40% said it was not easy to file a complaint and 44% said their complaints were not followed up by managers.

The survey results are limited due to several factors, including the fact that the survey was disseminated by the scheme’s operators, which may have made respondents reluctant to provide negative feedback. The survey also had a low response rate at just 12%, which may have led to self-selection bias.