The future of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales, Agricultural Wages Committees, Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Committees
In July 2010 the Government announced its decision to abolish these bodies.
Following the completion of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, the Agricultural Wages Board was abolished on 25 June 2013.
The current Agricultural Wages (England and Wales) Order 2012 remains in force until 30 September 2013.
The National Minimum Wage will be introduced in the agricultural and horticultural sectors as from 1 October 2013. This means that until 1 October 2013 all agricultural and horticultural workers should continue to be remunerated in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Agricultural Wages Order 2012.
In July 2010 the Government announced its decision to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales, along with the Agricultural Wages Committees and the Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Committees in England. However, before taking a decision on the future of these bodies the government decided to seek the views of interested parties.
The Government considers that by abolishing the Agricultural Wages Board, and hence the agricultural minimum wage regime, it will simplify employment practices and remove an unnecessary regulatory burden. This will enable the industry to adopt flexible working practices and help to ensure a sustainable and viable future for agriculture.
Similarly it believes that given their reduced and limited functions it is difficult to justify the continued existence and public expense of the Agricultural Wages Committees and Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Committees.
Update 5 March 2013 – We have revised the figures of responses given in the overall summary as unfortunately a very small number of responses to the consultation exercise have come to light which were not included in the original analysis. These responses do not raise any substantive new arguments about the future of the Agricultural Wages Board and other committees, which have not already been considered by the Government. Given the very small number involved, the differences in the analysis are minimal and do not affect the overall percentages.
Further information- Employing farm workers