Seasonal Worker Interest Group Statement

Response to The Employer Pays Principle Feasibility Study within the Horticulture Value Chain

On 8 July 2025, the “Employer Pays Principle Feasibility Study within the Horticulture Value Chain” was published by Alma Economics following co-commissioning by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Seasonal Worker Scheme Taskforce. The Employer Pays Principle (EPP) states that no worker should pay for a job – the costs of recruitment should be borne by the employer not the employee. Respect for the principle is fundamental to combatting exploitation, forced labour and trafficking in global supply chains.

The UK government has a duty to safeguard the welfare and interests of migrant seasonal workers who play a crucial role in propping up the horticulture sector and the food supply chain more generally.  It also has a duty to other stakeholders in the horticulture supply chain, including growers. Private sector actors must be held more accountable for their role in upholding the welfare and human rights of workers on the SWV, but the UK government also cannot abdicate its responsibility on these issues. Indeed, the UK government’s recently updated “Transparency in supply chains” guidance states that companies wishing to undertake responsible recruitment “should follow the Employer Pays Principle”. The government therefore cannot sensibly call for anything but the mandatory implementation of EPP on the SWV if it takes its own commitments around responsible business conduct and human rights seriously. We therefore call on the government to swiftly coordinate the safe and ethical implementation of EPP on the SWV in a way that protects workers.