Northern Ireland farmworkers set for pay rise

Farmworkers in Northern Ireland are to receive pay increases worth roughly between 4-8%, depending on their grade.

The announcement follows a meeting of the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) at the end of February and takes effect from 1 April 2026.

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Under the new pay structure, a Grade 1 agricultural trainee between the age of 18 and 20 will receive £10.85/hour for their first 40 weeks of employment – up from £10/hour currently.

A Grade 2 agricultural worker will be paid £13.30/hour (up 6.4%), while a Grade 3 “lead skilled worker” will be on £13.66/hour (up 7.3%)

Grade 4 “multi-skilled” workers will make £13.89/hour, while Grade 5 “agricultural managers” are set to receive £14.44/hour (up 3.9%).

“Overtime will now be paid at the same hourly rate as normal working hours, but other overtime rates will be subject to contractual agreement between the employer and employee,” said an AWB statement.

The rates for Grade 1 workers currently match the national minimum wage and the national living wage, and will move in line if these subsequently change.

The accommodation offset has been increased to £60/week from the current value of £54.71/week.

The AWB says it is currently revising all grade descriptions to reflect changes to the grading structure and will published them in due course.

The AWB consists of 15 members from Daera, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, and Unite the Union.

It was established in 1977 and sets the minimum wage rates for agricultural workers.

Northern Ireland is the only region of the UK where a wages board still exists.