Ukrainian workers flee ‘modern slavery’ conditions on UK farms

Fruit pickers working in a field. One Ukrainian woman who fled a farm job said she felt ‘like I am a hostage in the UK’. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Hundreds of Ukrainians are believed to be living and working informally in Britain after escaping from farms they were working at, with many claiming to have been subjected to conditions of modern slavery.

Ukrainians made up by far the largest proportion of workers in the UK on seasonal worker visas in 2021. Of the 29,631 visas issued under the T5 seasonal work scheme, two-thirds (19,920) were given to Ukrainians. The Scottish Refugee Council estimates there are up to 6,000 Ukrainians in the UK.