Representatives of the UK horticultural sector, including the NFU, have written to the government asking for clarification on seasonal agricultural workers.
Their letter was spurred by the end of the SAWS scheme and went to immigration minister Mark Harper MP, calling for clarity and speed to allow the industry to plan its future business.
It pointed out that SAWS accounts for 33 per cent of all seasonal workers in the sector and was a well managed scheme for controlling migrant workers, who stayed in the UK for just six months.