Salaries and Costs
Farm work in Shropshire often pays by the hour for hands-on roles and by the week or year for skilled posts. Entry farm hands and poultry operatives tend to sit a little above the National Living Wage, with many ads in the county listing £13 to £16.50 per hour for peak periods or unsocial hours. The National Living Wage for ages 21 and over is £12.21 from April 2025, which acts as a floor for many temporary shifts and seasonal contracts. Permanent hires for stockpersons, herdspersons, spray operators, and farm forepersons can range from £27,000 to £40,000 depending on housing, hours, and responsibility. Employers using recruitment consultants should expect permanent recruitment fees of around 12% to 20% of the starting salary, with higher brackets for scarce skills or executive search. For temp agencies, total agency costs include pay rates, holiday pay, pension, National Insurance, and an agency margin that reflects notice terms and volume. Local businesses can reduce spending by planning early for lambing, harvest, and placement changes, and by agreeing on clear pay bands before advertising.
Qualifications
Agricultural recruiters in the county place candidates with a mix of practical experience and formal cards or tickets. Useful credentials include PA1 and PA2 for pesticides; telehandler certificates; ATVs and UTV certificates; livestock transport certificates; food hygiene for packing and processing; and first aid for lone working. Agency screening for drivers will cover B+E or C+E where machinery or grain haulage is part of the brief. Clerical and management roles in estates and farm offices may require AAT for accounts work, or BASIS and FACTS for agronomy support. References, right-to-work checks, and recent equipment experience are standard, and many employment firms will pre-test animal husbandry knowledge for dairy and poultry placements.
Regional Or Geographic Variations
Shropshire mixes livestock, cereals, and poultry, with large units across the north and west, and mixed farms from Oswestry and Whitchurch down to Ludlow and Church Stretton. Food processing and storage sites cluster around Shrewsbury and Market Drayton, with activity near Battlefield Enterprise Park and the A49 and A5 corridors. Telford and Wrekin sits on the M54 and feeds labour into nearby rural employers, with Hortonwood a known draw for manufacturing and logistics that competes for shift workers. This spread shapes agency shortlists, travel times, and the likelihood of live-in roles on remote holdings. County data show a strong poultry presence and steady growth in salaried farm managers, shifting the balance of vacancies across seasons.
Local Hiring Challenges
Peak demand hits at lambing and harvest, and again for thinning, drilling, and turkey season, which pulls candidates away from standard hours. Transport can be a hurdle for jobseekers without cars on rural routes, so agencies often focus on clusters near the A49, A5, and rail links into Shrewsbury and Telford. Retention improves when employers set clear rotas, keep accommodation in good order, and manage overtime fairly with time off in lieu or uplifted pay. Recruiters report that casual labour has tightened, so early booking of temp cover cuts the risk of last-minute gaps. The wider Midlands workforce remains important to the county’s job market, and neighbouring towns supply commuters for poultry, dairy, and packhouse shifts.
Roles And Career Paths
Staffing agencies and recruiters cover a wide sweep of roles, from general farm workers and relief milkers to tractor drivers, sprayer operators, herdspersons, poultry assistants, harvest students, and engineering support. Office and commercial roles include farm secretaries, weighbridge admins, grain desk assistants, and junior agronomists. With experience, candidates move into unit management, compliance and audit, transport planning for feed and crop movements, or estate and contract farming management. Executive search teams handle senior appointments in operations, technical management, and commercial leadership for food businesses tied to the county.
Seasonal Trends
Jobseekers will see temporary postings grow from late winter through harvest, with lambing blocks, spring drilling, silage, combining, and autumn cultivations driving hours. Poultry units recruit year-round for biosecure cover, with holiday relief common in school breaks. Packhouses and cold stores raise headcount for retailer programs and Christmas demand, and temp agencies often run weekly starts with on-the-job training. Employers who confirm numbers early can secure experienced returners and reduce induction time for new starters.
Training And Licences
Agencies work with local employers to upskill new starters on telehandlers, forklifts, and safe tractor use, and can point candidates to PA1 and PA2 courses. Food sites look for Level 2 food hygiene, HACCP awareness, and allergen training, and larger farms value IOSH Working Safely for yard tasks. Some roles require DBS checks when on-farm accommodation or school visits are involved, and all placements require current right-to-work documents held in the agency system.
Key Sectors And Employers In The Region
The county’s workforce supports arable, beef, dairy, and poultry production, with allied employers in feed mills, machinery dealers, crop storage, and food processing. Shrewsbury’s Shropshire Food Enterprise Centre supports small producers and gives recruiters a steady stream of production and hygiene roles. Around Telford and north Shropshire, engineering and maintenance jobs link into packhouses and chilled food, creating a crossover demand for fitters and mechanics who can cover harvest breakdowns and planned servicing.
Common Job Roles Agencies Recruit For
Recruitment agencies and staffing agencies in Shropshire take briefs for milkers, calf rearers, shepherds, poultry farm assistants, machine operators, sprayer operators with PA2, grain store operatives, agronomy assistants, farm secretaries, accounts admins, and junior farm managers. Executive search teams handle farm business managers, technical managers, and operations leads for larger estates and food sites. Temp agencies supply drivers, pickers, hygiene operatives, and packers on day and night shifts, with options for temporary, permanent, and contract work across the year.
Market And Trend Snapshots
The local labour market shows steady employer demand for poultry and dairy skills, with adverts stating hourly rates above the legal minimum for unsociable hours. Agencies note fewer casual workers than in past years, and a shift toward salaried manager roles on larger units. Wider policy on wage rates matters for budgets and retention, and April uplifts to the legal minimum set new baselines for pay reviews and agency costs. Regional statistics for the Midlands confirm the scale of farming and allied jobs that feed into Shropshire’s workforce and supply chain.
Quick Facts And Frequently Asked Questions
What documents should I have ready before I register with an agency?
Bring photo ID, right-to-work proof, recent references, and any tickets, such as PA1 and telehandler cards.
Do agencies cover accommodation for seasonal farm work?
Some roles include on-farm rooms or caravans. Others offer local lets with deductions agreed in writing.
How do recruitment fees work for permanent hires?
Most employment firms charge a percentage of the starting salary. Agree on terms, rebates, and payment points at the outset.
What pay rates are common for entry farm roles in Shropshire?
Many ads list £13 to £15 per hour during busy periods, with legal minimums setting the floor for standard shifts.
Do temp agencies handle pensions and holiday pay?
Yes. For agency workers, these are included in the total agency rate, with the accrual shown on payslips.
Which areas see the most roles in the county?
Shrewsbury, Market Drayton, Oswestry, Whitchurch, Ludlow, and sites near the A49, A5, and M54 see regular postings.
Do agencies place senior candidates?
Yes. Executive search covers unit management, farm business leadership, and technical and commercial heads for food operations.