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Labour on UK Dairy Farms 

RABDF

Despite good rates of pay for the skilled and semi-skilled workers on UK dairy farms, previous research and anecdotal evidence have indicated farm owners and managers often struggle to recruit domestic labour mainly because of unsocial working hours.

As a result, the RABDF wants to establish an accurate picture of the labour situation on UK dairy farms, so as an industry we can try and look for solutions to overcome the challenges. 
Please answer as many questions as possible to help us compile an accurate assessment of labour issues on dairy farms. All individual responses will be kept confidential and the data you submit will be collected by RABDF and processed in accordance with the requirements of the 2018 Data Protection Act.  Anonymised data may be reproduced in articles.

All individuals completing the survey will have the choice to be entered into a prize draw to win £150 worth of Amazon vouchers. 

1.What is your occupation? 
2.What is your postcode?
3.How many cows are you milking?
4.What is your main livestock enterprise? 
5.How many staff members do you employ (full-time and part-time)?
6.How many foreign nationals do you employ (full-time and part-time)?
7.Why do you employ foreign labour? (Tick all that apply)
8.Would you class your labour as skilled or unskilled?
9.What are the ages of your workers? (Tick all that apply)
10.In the last five year’s have you had difficulty recruiting staff?
11.On average, how long does it take you to recruit staff? 
12.Why do you believe you struggle to recruit? (Tick all that apply)
13.Is recruiting correct staff something that worries you?
14.How do you recruit staff? (Tick all that apply)
15.On average, how many applicants would you get for a herdspersons post?
16.What level of experience do most job applicants have when applying? (Tick all that apply)
17.What does your interview process involve?
18.Do you offer training to staff?
19.What training do you offer to staff? (Tick all that apply)
20.Have you ever employed an apprentice?
21.Would you consider taking on an apprentice?
22.If you answered No to Q21, why wouldn't you employ an apprentice? (Tick all that apply)
23.Have you ever considered getting out of dairying because of a lack of labour?
24.Have you ever changed anything on your farm to make it a more attractive place to work?
25.If you answered Yes to Q24, please give details here
26.What is the average retention rate of staff on your farm?
27.What are the main reasons for staff departing? (Tick all that apply)
28.Do you think Brexit will have an impact on your ability to employ people?
29.What is the average wage of a herdsperson on your farm a year?