Farm Workers' Rights in Wales

Who this guide is for

People employed in agriculture in Wales, including part-time, seasonal and casual workers and apprentices.

What this guide does not cover

• Farm workers in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland: see Farm Workers' Rights in England, Farm Workers' Rights in Scotland or Farm Workers' Rights in Northern Ireland.
• Visas and immigration, including the Seasonal Worker visa.
• General employment rights: see Your Rights as an Employee in England, Wales and Scotland.
• The minimum wage in detail: see The Minimum Wage in the UK.
• Bereavement leave, guaranteed overtime and the full grade rules in detail: read the Order or ask the Welsh Government's Agricultural Minimum Wage Team.

What the rules depend on

1. Do you work in agriculture in Wales? The Order covers people employed in agriculture in Wales, even if some of the work is done outside Wales.
2. What grade are you, and how old are you?
3. Are you an apprentice?
4. When did you start? Workers who started before 1 October 2006 have a wider definition of overtime.
5. How many days a week do you work? That decides your holiday.

"What is the minimum I must be paid?"

The Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales drafts the Agricultural Wages Order and advises the Welsh Ministers. The current Order is the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2025, which came into force on 1 April 2025.

The Welsh Government says that from 1 April 2026 the rates in the 2025 Order continue to apply, except where the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage is now higher. So grades A and B, and apprentices, rose to the national rates on 1 April 2026. Grades C, D and E did not change. The Welsh Government says the rates will be updated when a new Order is approved.

The higher grades are:

• Grade C (agricultural advanced worker): for example, you hold a level 3 apprenticeship-equivalent qualification, have two years at grade B, or are employed as a team leader.
• Grade D (senior agricultural worker): for example, you hold a level 4 apprenticeship-equivalent qualification, or you implement management decisions on your own or supervise staff.
• Grade E (agricultural manager): you have day-to-day responsibility for the whole holding or a separate part of it, including hiring and managing staff where relevant.

"When do I get overtime?"

Basic hours are a maximum of 39 hours a week. Overtime must be paid at least 1.5 times your basic hourly rate.

If you started on or after 1 October 2006, overtime is time worked beyond your basic hours, or on a public holiday. If you started before 1 October 2006, overtime also includes Sundays and some Sunday-to-Monday periods.

"What allowances can I get?"

• Dog allowance: £11.18 a week for each dog your employer requires you to keep.
• On-call allowance: three times your hourly rate for your grade, for each period you are on call. An on-call period must not be longer than 24 hours.
• Night work allowance: £2.12 for each hour of night work. Night work is from 7pm to 6am, but the first two hours do not count.
• Birth and adoption grant: £87.85 for each child, once you show the birth certificate or adoption order within 3 months.

"What sick pay and holidays do I get?"

Agricultural sick pay is paid at least at the minimum hourly rate for your grade. You need at least 52 weeks' continuous employment before the absence, you must tell your employer properly, and you need a medical certificate for 8 or more days in a row. It is not paid for the first 3 days of an absence that lasts less than 14 days. The number of weeks rises with service: 13 weeks in your second year, rising to 26 weeks from your sixth year.

Annual leave depends on how many days a week you work. For example, more than 4 but not more than 5 days a week gives 31 days a year, and more than 5 but not more than 6 days gives 35 days.

The Order also gives you rest breaks under the Working Time Regulations 1998, and paid bereavement leave.

"My employer provides my accommodation"

Under the Order, your employer can deduct £1.97 a week for a house. For other accommodation it can deduct £6.31 a day, but only if you have worked at least 15 hours that week.

The national minimum wage has its own accommodation offset: £11.10 a day from 1 April 2026.

"I'm paid by the piece or supplied by a gangmaster"

For piece work and gangmasters, the same rules as the rest of Great Britain apply: see Farm Workers' Rights in England and Fair Work Standards and the Fair Work Agency: England, Wales and Scotland.

Deadlines you must meet

• Most employment tribunal claims: 3 months less 1 day from the act you are complaining about. It is 6 months less 1 day only where that act (or the last act in a series) happened on or after 1 October 2026.
• Notify Acas within your time limit. Early conciliation pauses the clock.
• Your exact date depends on your facts. See our tribunal deadline guide.

Money figures

From 1 April 2026 (Welsh Government; asterisked rates follow the national minimum wage):

• Grades A1 and B1 (16 to 17): £8.00 an hour
• Grades A2 and B2 (18 to 20): £10.85
• Grades A3 and B3 (21 and over): £12.71
• Grade C (agricultural advanced worker): £13.48
• Grade D (senior agricultural worker): £14.79
• Grade E (agricultural manager): £16.23
• Apprentices: year 1 £8.00; year 2 and later £8.00 (16 to 17), £10.85 (18 to 20), £12.71 (21 and over)
• Dog allowance: £11.18 a week per dog. Night work: £2.12 an hour. Birth or adoption grant: £87.85 per child.
• Accommodation: £1.97 a week (house), £6.31 a day (other accommodation).

Traps

• The farm minimum wage in Wales is higher than the national minimum wage only for grades C, D and E. For grades A and B and apprentices, the national rate now applies.
• Do not use the 2025 rates for grades A and B after 1 April 2026: they were overtaken by the national rates.
• The Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales was abolished in 2013, but Wales kept a farm minimum wage. Wales now has its own Agricultural Wages Order, drafted by the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales.
• The Order's house deduction (£1.97 a week) is much lower than the national minimum wage offset. Check which applies with the Agricultural Minimum Wage Team.
• Do not use the 6-month tribunal limit for an act that happened before 1 October 2026.