Tyrone countryside. Picture: Cliff Donaldson
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has secured significant improvements to the Agricultural Wages Order, delivering a fairer and more practical framework for both farmers and farm workers across Northern Ireland.
Following engagement through the Agricultural Wages Board for Northern Ireland, the UFU has successfully pushed for changes to overtime rules that bring agriculture into line with wider government legislation.
UFU representatives argued that the former system which placed unusually high and complex obligations on farm businesses which were not applied in other sectors, was discouraging farms from offering additional hours and investing in staff, whilst also creating unnecessary barriers to job creation and resulting in many family farms struggling to manage workload pressures.
The newly agreed changes will ensure that overtime provisions now align with standard government legislation creating a fairer system for farm businesses, meaning the overtime rate is now subject to negotiations between employers and employees at farm level. In addition, the Agricultural Wages Board has approved a significant overhaul of the grading structure for agricultural workers. The updated system introduces clearer, less technical definitions of roles and responsibilities, making it easier for both farmers and employees to understand how positions are classified.
The revised grades also introduce clearer progression between roles, helping workers see a more transparent pathway for development and pay progression within the industry.
The UFU believes these changes represent a positive step forward for the sector, ensuring agricultural employment remains both fair and sustainable at a time when farm businesses are already facing significant economic pressures.
UFU lead on the Board, Crosby Cleland, said, “Since the pandemic, we have witnessed a downward trend of employed farm workers on farms in Northern Ireland, caused in part by the unfairly high standards farmers are expected to adhere to compared to other industries. These changes are vital for the future of farm employment, as farmers want to be fair employers and provide good opportunities for workers, but the regulatory system must also be workable for farm businesses and reflect economic realities on farms as it would with any other business.”
“By securing overtime rules that align with wider legislation, alongside a clearer and more transparent grading structure, we have helped create a system that works better for both farmers and farm workers today and for the future.”
The changes enter force in April 2026. The UFU position to abolish the Agricultural Wages Board remains.
