Every farm worker, from a full-time stockman to a six-week lambing hand, is owed the main terms of the job in writing, and in Great Britain that means on the first day. Here is what the paper must say, what a farm should add, and where Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ.
In Great Britain an employer must give every employee and worker a written statement of employment particulars: the principal statement on or before the first day, covering pay, hours, holiday, place of work, sick pay, other paid leave and notice. Pensions, disciplinary and grievance procedures and non-compulsory training can follow within two months, and any change must be notified within one month. It is not the contract itself. On a farm, add tied housing, on-call and overtime, and check the agricultural minimum wage by nation for pay.
Yes, in Great Britain. The written statement of employment particulars guidance says employers must give it to employees and workers: the principal statement and some day-one information on the first day, the wider statement within two months, and notice of any change within one month of making it. That covers a part-time relief milker and a seasonal hand as much as a farm manager.
The usual trap is the start date. A lambing helper who arrives on Monday morning needs the paper that morning, not at the end of the week when somebody finds a minute. Have it printed before they arrive. Acas also says the principal statement is due on or before the first day of work.
Northern Ireland is different, because employment law is devolved. The nidirect guidance says employees are entitled to a statement within two months of starting and mentions no day-one duty. Check with the Labour Relations Agency, and give the paper on day one anyway.
GOV.UK splits the contents into three groups. The principal statement, due by day one, must include:
The day-one information, in the same document or a separate accessible one, covers sick pay and procedures, other paid leave, and notice periods. The wider statement, due within two months, covers pensions, collective agreements, non-compulsory training, and disciplinary and grievance procedures. Employees also need the date their continuous employment began.
If the statement refers to a handbook, Acas says to say what it is and where to find it.
No. GOV.UK says the statement is not an employment contract, and that a contract does not have to be written down. As soon as someone accepts a job offer they have a contract, handshake or not. The statement records the main terms; the contract is the whole agreement, including what was said in the yard on the first morning.
That matters on farms because so much is agreed by word of mouth: who feeds on Sundays, whether the cottage comes with the job, whether the early start at calving is paid as overtime. If the paper says one thing and the practice is another, a worker will point at the paper.
My advice is one plain document that does both jobs: statutory items first, farm terms below, a signed and dated copy for the worker. Acas publishes free templates for written statements if you would rather start from a layout.
The statutory list is generic. A livestock farm needs a few more lines, and these cause the arguments later.
England has no farm-specific order for workers employed from 1 October 2013, though GOV.UK says people employed before that date keep the terms of the 2012 order. The other three nations kept their own orders. Read the one for your holding; the detail changes yearly.
| Nation | Overtime | On-call | Housing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales (Order 2025) | At least 1.5 times basic hourly rate; basic hours a maximum of 39 a week | 3 times the hourly rate per on-call period, up to 24 hours | Offsets of £1.97 a week (house), £6.31 a day (other) |
| Scotland (Order No. 73, 2026) | Formula with a 1.5 multiplier beyond 8 hours a day or the weekly threshold | Standby pays 2 hours at the appropriate rate | House valued at £1 a week; other accommodation up to £10.66 a day |
| Northern Ireland (Order No. 106, 2026) | Check the order | Check the order | Offset of £60 a week |
Sources: the Welsh Order and Welsh Government rates, Scotland's overtime and benefits parts, and DAERA. GOV.UK says Welsh employers must give workers the Agricultural Wage Order before they start, plus a written statement, in its agricultural workers' rights guidance. I could not confirm Northern Ireland overtime and on-call terms.
Yes, if they are employees or workers, and most casual farm labour is one or the other. GOV.UK says someone is likely to be a worker if the business does not have to offer work, they cannot send a substitute, and the business deducts tax and National Insurance. A zero-hours label does not take them outside the rules, and such a worker can ignore a clause stopping them working elsewhere, GOV.UK says. For short contracts see our seasonal workers guide.
The genuinely self-employed are different. A shearer or fencer who quotes for the job, brings their own kit and could send a substitute does not get a statement, but the invoice label does not decide it. HMRC offers the Check Employment Status for Tax tool. Family on ordinary terms are treated like anyone else; see employing family on the farm.
Acas says a worker without a statement should raise it informally, then by grievance, and may eventually claim at tribunal. Compensation is possible where a tribunal upholds the claim alongside another one, such as unfair dismissal. The real cost is a weaker hand in any later pay, holiday or housing argument.
Keep a signed, dated copy for each worker, a note of the day it was handed over, every change notice, and any handbook it refers to. My advice, not a legal rule, is to hold these for six years after the worker leaves, matching wage record retention.
Then keep the working records that show you stuck to the terms. Our farm worker timesheet template is a free CSV for hours, overtime, on-call and housing. This is not legal advice; for a dispute speak to Acas or an employment adviser.
If they are an employee or a worker, yes. In Great Britain the principal statement is due on or before the first day, however short the job. The wider items, such as pensions and disciplinary procedures, can follow within two months. A genuinely self-employed contractor does not get one, but check their status rather than trusting the label.
Yes. Acas says that if the statement refers to other documents, you should say what they are and where to find them. Keep the handbook somewhere the worker can read it, and keep a dated copy of the version in force when the person started.
Yes. GOV.UK says a contract exists as soon as someone accepts a job offer, and that it does not have to be written down. The written statement still has to be given separately. Writing the agreed terms down protects both sides if memories differ later.
Yes. GOV.UK says you must tell an employee or worker about any change to the particulars within one month of making it. A change to the rota, the pay, the housing charge or the on-call arrangement all count, so date the notice and keep a copy.
GOV.UK says employers in Wales must give workers an Agricultural Wage Order before they start work, as well as a written statement. The Welsh order also sets overtime, on-call and night work allowances, so read the current order for your holding.