The UK government has unveiled 45,000 new visas for seasonal workers for 2023 but farmers worry that it is too late.

The increase in migrant workers was described as a step forward and a relief for growers striving to find a skilled workforce by NFU England.

Defra said the Seasonal Agricultural Worker (SAW) visa expansion would allow horticultural businesses to recruit foreign workers to come to the UK for up to six months. This is an uplift of 15,000 compared to what was available to farming businesses at the start of this year.

Defra said this number would be kept under review with the potential to increase by a further 10,000 if necessary. The first 4,000 visas have been made available to operators, the department added.

Labour shortages are affecting countries around the world, but the UK food and farming sector - heavily reliant on migrant labour - warns that it is suffering as a consequence of Brexit and the pandemic.

Soaring energy and fertiliser costs have only added to the pressure, which resulted in £60m of fruit and vegetables being wasted in the UK in the first half of 2022 alone.

The NFU said the increase in visas was a 'positive step forward' for the sector so it could continue producing the nation’s fruit, vegetables and ornamentals.

However, for some growers, the union warned this announcement would have come 'too late', with some already having made the difficult decision to reduce production in the coming season.

NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw said the situation would be closely monitored this season: "We expect the coming 2023 season to be equally challenging. Given the significant pressure growers are currently under, it’s important that any decision to release the further 10,000 visas is timely and made ahead of the peak season.

"Earlier this year, the government’s food strategy reflected the sector’s ambitions to increase the amount of fruit and veg grown on home soil.

"To see this ambition realised, growers need longer term certainty. The NFU will continue to ask for a minimum of a five-year rolling SAW scheme to give growers the confidence to invest in their businesses, and boost Britain’s production of fruit and vegetables.”