Growers Win Vital Reprieve As UK Confirms 41,000 Seasonal Worker Visas

British growers have received a major boost after the Government maintained the Seasonal Worker Scheme allocation at 41,000 horticulture visas for 2027, easing fears that further restrictions could leave farms without enough people to harvest their crops.

The allocation, which matches the 2026 quota, has now been finalised alongside 1,900 visas for seasonal poultry workers.

The decision provides fruit, vegetable, flower and plant producers with crucial certainty as they make cropping, investment and recruitment plans for the year ahead.

The National Farmers’ Union welcomed the confirmation, describing it as a positive outcome for horticulture and poultry businesses following its engagement with the Government and industry partners.

NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Martin Emmett said maintaining the allocation recognised the sector’s continuing dependence on seasonal labour.

“Seasonal workers remain essential to harvesting crops efficiently and preventing valuable produce from being left in the field,” he said.

Emmett added that the outcome would give growers greater confidence when planning future production. However, the NFU will continue pressing the Government to introduce multi-year allocations, arguing that longer-term workforce certainty is essential if horticultural businesses are to invest and grow.

The timing of the announcement is also significant. According to the NFU, it is the earliest confirmation the sector has received to date, giving growers more time to plan recruitment and production than under previous annual allocation decisions.

Access to seasonal workers remains one of the most pressing issues facing labour-intensive horticultural businesses, particularly those producing crops that must be picked within narrow harvesting windows. Any shortfall in available workers can leave valuable produce unharvested and undermine the commercial viability of future planting decisions.

The 41,000-place allocation is unchanged from the 2026 Seasonal Worker Scheme quota, which was reduced from 43,000 horticulture visas in 2025.

Government figures show that 38,805 seasonal horticulture visas were issued during 2025.

The Seasonal Worker route allows approved scheme operators to sponsor overseas workers for temporary roles within horticulture. Separate places are provided for seasonal poultry production, particularly during the busy period leading up to Christmas.

Under the Government’s Farming Roadmap 2050, the Seasonal Worker visa route is expected to continue until at least 2030.

The Government has said annual allocations will support farms while the sector gradually reduces its reliance on migrant labour through investment in innovation, automation, skills and new domestic employment pathways.

For growers making decisions about what and how much to plant, however, dependable access to labour remains fundamental. The confirmation of 41,000 visas for 2027 removes an immediate source of uncertainty, but the industry’s attention will now turn to securing the longer-term workforce guarantees it believes are necessary to protect domestic food production.

The 2027 allocation was first reported by Horticulture Week.