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Agricultural employment

Our specialist agricultural employment solicitors advise farming businesses on a broad range of employment law issues, from day-to-day administration such as drafting policies and dealing with employment contracts, to representing businesses at employment tribunals in the event of legal claims.

Robert Whitaker, Bishop's Stortford

Agricultural employment solicitors: Expert legal advice

Farming businesses face some unique challenges when it comes to hiring and managing staff. The seasonal nature of farming means that more staff will be required at certain times of year, often resulting in more complex contracts of employment and difficulties in managing temporary employees.

Historically agricultural businesses were subject to the Agricultural Wages Orders (AWO) which regulated some of the minimum terms applicable to farm employees. Whilst the AWO has been abolished for some years there may be legacy issues for long standing employees which we are well placed to advise on, having been involved with consultations and advice to farm businesses supporting the NFU.

Our specialist services:

Contracts of employment – we ensure you have written contracts for both permanent and temporary agricultural workers to help you sort out any future conflicts or claims from an employee.
Housing of farm workers – employees will often be provided with accommodation as a term of their contract of employment. We can advise on the associated considerations including rights associated with agricultural tenancies.
Employment tribunals – extensive expertise you can lean on if an employee brings a case against you at tribunal. The claim brought against you may have limited merit but will still need a response and we can help advise you on the legal, commercial, and practical considerations to navigate this inevitably stressful time.
Re-organisation and redundancy – as agricultural businesses look to meet the challenges and demands of modern farming, with, for instance, contract farming becoming increasingly common, this may mean changing the way you do things. We can help with redundancies, changing terms and conditions, and/or TUPE.
Settlement agreements – sometimes things are no longer working out with your farm worker. The employee may have been with the business for many years and almost become part of the family. We can help you offer exit terms to allow everyone to move on in a legally binding but dignified, cost-effective way.