CAMPAIGNWelsh agri wages panel/agricultural pay ‘‘ Better choice? – For many young workers retail may appear to offer more
“We are not being listened to. When we talk to ministers our demands are falling on deaf ears.
“Engagement with the unions generally from government departments is very weak – we are constantly trying to find someone in power to listen to us.
“We are doing all the work – it is whether there is a willingness to listen to us.”
Paul is more confident of backing from the Welsh government, especially after previous speeches of support from rural affairs minister Huw Irranca-Davies.
In October 2012, when he was shadow food and farming minister, he attended a Unite rally on saving the AWB, saying, “The AWB is not just about national minimum wages but so much more about conditions, in an industry with high levels of mortality and injury, and back-breakingly hard work.
“People who pick the apple should be able to pay for it as well. There is one nation for the very wealthy and one for the others. We won’t give up on this.”
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The average age of a farmworker is now 55 and they’re not being replaced by young people. Even those who do come into the industry are leaving because of the long hours and low pay
Steve Leniec, Unite agriculture chair
And in September 2025, in an answer to a question on the future of the WAAP in the Senedd, Huw Irranca-Davies made it clear that as far as the Welsh Labour government was concerned, the pay panel was here to stay.
He said, “Since its inception, the panel has played such a crucial role in protecting the interests of agricultural workers. If we were to disband it, it would be a real step backwards in terms of supporting agricultural workers in Wales.”
Last year Unite was alarmed when it saw NFU Cymru’s 2026 election manifesto, with a headline which read, SCRAPPING THE AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY PANEL.
The NFU said, “The Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales was established following the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales in 2013.
“No other sector has such an arrangement in place and NFU Cymru is clear that the role of an advisory panel in setting wage rates is obsolete as a result of developments such as the National Minimum Wage, National Living Wage, Working Time Regulations, and other legislative safeguards. The additional complexity of a wages order is not required in Wales.”
Unite is arguing that a Welsh Living Wage should become the rate for the lowest grade for all agricultural workers, and that age differentials should be phased out.
There should also be day one rights for sick pay to improve conditions for farm workers as well as reducing the administrative burden on farm businesses.
22 uniteLANDWORKER Spring 2026
How bad do things have to get before farmers and governments say, this is wrong, we must listen to the unions? We’re probably the only voice arguing for better pay and conditions for agriculture workers
Paul Travers, Unite national officer
A Welsh Living Wage would bring in a much needed skilled, fairly paid, rural workforce.
Farmworker Steve Leniec, who chairs Unite’s rural and agriculture sector, says the issue of the future of the WAAP will feature in next year’s Welsh government elections.
“Wages boards set much more than basic pay – they consider tied cottages, professional development, overtime and holidays.
“The average age of a farmworker is now 55 and they are not being replaced by young people. Even those who do come into the industry are leaving because of the long hours and low pay. They just move on to a better paid job.”
Steve, who works as a tractor driver in Oxfordshire, argues that the national minimum wage does not set overtime rates, which are important in a long hours industry like agriculture.
He also believes the Welsh government has been more supportive, challenging the then Westminster administration in court over the abolition of the AWB, and being instrumental in setting up the advisory panel. “We just don't have any support from the Westminster government, even though some MPs back us.”
As a farmworker, Steve witnesses the shortage of workers, especially seasonal staff. “Wages play a big part in attracting workers.”
The WAAP plays a big part in making sure there are decent pay and conditions in the sector – and Unite will fight to make sure it survives for another 10 years. And who knows, the UK government may be inspired by Wales’ example – and introduce a new wages panel for England if not the UK.
Getty Images
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