Mary Creagh MP // Tel: 01924 386124 // Email: mary@marycreagh.co.uk // 20-22 Cheapside, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 2TF

Tory-led government's pension reforms will hit agricultural workers

Figures released by Shadow Environment Secretary Mary Creagh on 1st August show that the Tory-led government’s changes to Labour's plans for universal pension coverage will have a huge impact on rural and farm workers.

The figures show that 15,000 workers in the agricultural sector will be excluded when the threshold for auto-enrolment into pension schemes rises from £5,000 to £10,000 over the next few years. 37,000 casual workers employed on agricultural holdings will also be hit by government plans to bring in a three-month waiting period before being enrolled in a private pension.

Mary said "The Government should make it easier for people in rural areas to save for their retirement, not harder. The rural economy is already bearing the brunt of the Government's ill-thought out economy policy. It now seems rural workers are missing out not just on jam today but also on jam tomorrow.

"The Tories claim they are the party of the countryside but their actions on low pay and pensions mean that people in rural areas will lose out. Rural families are already feeling the squeeze from wage freezes, higher bills and greater financial insecurity. These figures show the shocking lack of pension provision in the agricultural sector."