Wage rises add to pressures

RISING wages across the wider economy are putting labour costs back in the spotlight for farmers and land owners.

- WITH ANDREW FORGRAVE

Although many farming and land-based businesses are under financial strain, rising private and public sector wages and increases in the National Living Wage (NLW) mean employers are under pressure to keep pace, according to property consultants Strutt & Parker.

Minimum pay levels for farmworkers are still set by official pay review bodies in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

In England the AWB was disbanded in 2013, leaving employers with no formal figures on which to base their annual pay reviews, which traditionally take effect from October 1.

Nick Watson, head of private client for Strutt & Parker, said: "The challenge for farming businesses is going to be balancing tight margins with the reality that wages are rising elsewhere.