The government has today (29 March) called on employers of seasonal agricultural workers to help keep the nation safe and restrict the spread of Covid-19 by registering for free workplace testing.

This follows the introduction of a new bespoke testing regime for international arrivals this weekend, which extended the supply of free Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests to employers of seasonal agricultural workers in the edible horticulture sector. These workers play a vital role across many of our farms, picking fruit and vegetables and helping to feed the nation.

Under this new bespoke testing regime, international arrivals who are in the country for longer than two days will be required to take a test before the end of day two and to take a further test every three days – typically on days five and eight. Those who receive a positive test result will be required to take a further PCR test for variant surveillance.

Seasonal agricultural workers will be able to access these tests through several routes, including home tests and community testing sites. They should remain on the farm for the 10 days after they arrive, except where necessary to access testing.

Employers of seasonal agricultural workers who register for workplace testing can now access free tests to help meet this testing requirement, which will protect growers from having to take on the greater costs of regular PCR testing, which could save an estimated £10m for growers across the country.

Farming Minister Victoria Prentis has written to employers of seasonal workers today, encouraging them to take up this offer and register to deliver regular testing of their workers. Around 1 in 3 people with coronavirus don’t have symptoms, so workplace testing will help to identify individuals who may be carrying the virus without knowing it, and allow employers to take the necessary action to stop the virus spreading amongst their workforce.

Writing to growers across the country today, Farming Minister Victoria Prentis said:

I am immensely grateful for the resilience our growers have shown throughout the last year, meeting the challenges of the pandemic and going above and beyond to help keep the nation fed.

Now, as we look towards resuming a more normal way of life, we must stay vigilant and do what we can to ensure we continue to operate as safely as possible.

Regular testing protects businesses, helps keep workers safe and is vital to our continuing recovery. I urge our farmers and growers to work with us to protect their workforces, their businesses and our food supply.

The tests can be carried out at a designated workplace site, and for businesses of over 10 people, employers can dispense those tests for staff to take at home. If positive results come back, staff must take swift action to isolate and undertake a confirmatory Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.

In addition, those overseas looking to work within the edible horticulture sector will be able to undertake the mandatory two week quarantine period on the farm, meaning they can carry out certain tasks under Covid-safe conditions during that time. This has already proved to be vitally important for the sector, with government taking action to ensure that pickers were able to get straight to work gathering last year’s harvest.

Employers must register for the programme by the 12 April to receive a supply of free test kits until the end of June.

Students aged 14 to 19 will take part in sessions which will run over three days and will provide an introduction to Dstl and the science inside UK defence and security, including key areas of work in chemistry, space, psychology, cyber and energetics.

Dstl is partnering with educational equality charity Speakers for Schools to offer virtual work experiences for young people across the UK. While in-person placements are not possible, virtual work experiences continue to connect young people with the world of work and open their minds to the possibility of a career in a sector they may not have considered.

Jaime Williamson, heads up Early Careers for Dstl, and said:

We are thrilled to be able to offer this unique experience, particularly during a time where it is almost impossible for schools and colleges to enable real life work experience. Although students can’t be at one of our sites in person, they will get to virtually meet real life defence scientists and find out about some of the exciting science projects they are working on. They’ll be developing their employability skills too, as we’ll be setting exciting interactive challenges relating to each of the work areas.

Dstl has partnered with Speakers for Schools, a charity founded by ITV’s Political Editor Robert Peston and supported by the Law Family Charitable Foundation. Speakers for Schools aims to end educational inequality by giving young people access to the same networks as the top fee-paying schools in the UK through inspirational talks and work placements.

Jason Elsom, Chief Executive Officer, Speakers for Schools, said:

We are delighted to see leading employers like Dstl on board with Speakers for Schools and joining our mission to end educational inequality. We hope more employers join our virtual work experience programme and more schools sign up to broaden the horizons of young people across the UK.

Dstl’s Matt Romang, who organised the week’s activities, said:

We couldn’t have done this without the support of the team at Speakers for Schools. They’ve been able to promote our opportunity nationally, which has attracted a really diverse group of students to join us this week. We’ll be working with them to hear what the students think of their experience at Dstl so that we can learn and improve. We’re aiming to run 2 more sessions over the next year, showcasing a different range of work areas each time.

Find out more about virtual work experience.