New Farm Work Welfare app launched to tackle labour exploitation

“It is very hard to spot and often workers do not know their rights but this new app will really help both rural employers and employees spot and prevent labour exploitation in this sector and catch criminals involved in this trade.”

Accelerated

Efforts to tackle the issue have accelerated after the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) and Justice and Care recently estimated there were about 100,000 victims of sector-wide modern slavery spread across the UK.

And with 10,000 to 13,000 cases recorded for agriculture alone, the news follows just weeks after the arrest of six people for human trafficking, which found suspected victims of modern slavery living in a farm building in Bedfordshire.

Thwart

Bishop Alastair Redfern, who chairs the Clewer Initiative, highlighted the victims of modern slavery were often kept by highly organised, criminal gangs in remote locations.

“These gangs pose as legitimate labour providers offering a ready supply of workers to farmers and growers who may not always spot the signs of exploitation,” he added.

“That is why we have developed the Farm Work Welfare App, as we want to provide a resource for both farm businesses and workers to help them navigate the challenges of seasonal worker recruitment and thwart the criminal networks.”

The information gathered will be processed by the Modern Slavery Helpline and help identify hot spots, enable criminal investigations and support victims.