As of the 1st April 2026 Welsh Government has yet to appoint a new Chair of the Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales, the term of the previous Chair ended on the 31st March 2025.
No wage negotiations were undertaken over the previous 12 months and there has yet to be a new Wages Order for 2026.
This means that the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Order 2025 will continue to apply from 1 April 2026, except where minimum rates are overtaken by increases to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or National Living Wage (NLW).
The table below provides a summary of the minimum statutory wage rates that have applied since 1st April 2025 together with the minimum wage rates that will be in force from 1st April 2026 taking into consideration increases to the NMW and NLW.
| Category of Worker | 1 April 2026 | 1 April 2025 |
| Grade A1 (16 – 17 years old) | £8.00* | £7.55 |
| Grade A2 (18 – 20 years old) | £10.85* | £10.00 |
| Grade A3 (21 years+) | £12.71* | £12.21 |
| Grade B1 (16 – 17 years old) | £8.00* | £7.55 |
| Grade B2 (18 – 20 years old) | £10.85* | £10.00 |
| Grade B3 (21 years+) | £12.71* | £12.59 |
| Grade C – Agricultural Advanced Worker | £13.48 | £13.48 |
| Grade D – Senior Agricultural Worker | £14.79 | £14.79 |
| Grade E – Agricultural Manager | £16.23 | £16.23 |
| Apprentice Year 1 | £8.00* | £7.55 |
| Apprentice Year 2+ (16 – 17 years old) | £8.00* | £7.55 |
| Apprentice Year 2+ (18 – 20 years old) | £10.85* | £10.00 |
| Apprentice Year 2+ (21+) | £12.71* | £12.21 |
*These rates increase because they are now superseded by the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage
| Allowance | 1 April 2026 |
| Dog Allowance (per dog per week) | £11.18 |
| Night Time Work Allowance – per hour of night work |
£2.12 |
| Birth Adoption Allowance – for each child | £87.85 |
| Accommodation Offset Allowance (House) | £1.97 per week |
| Accommodation Offset Allowance (Other Accommodation) |
£6.31 per day |
What this means for workers and employers
The statutory rates of pay for workers in the lower grades (A and B) have been uplifted automatically to the applicable NMW/NLW, where these national rates are higher than the existing agricultural minimum wage. For Grades C to E, the 2025 rates will remain unchanged, these grades already sit above both the NMW and the NLW.
It is important to highlight that these are statutory minimum rates of pay and employers may choose to offer pay above the statutory minimum and voluntarily decide to provide pay increases.
What is the NFU Cymru position on the Agricultural Advisory Panel in Wales and the setting of minimum wage rates?
Our 2026 Senedd Election Manifesto calls for the panel to be scrapped, highlighting that no other sector has such an arrangement in place and the role of an advisory panel is obsolete as a result of developments such as the National Minimum Wage, National Living Wage, Working Time Regulations and other legislative safeguards.
The additional complexity of a wages order is not required in Wales.
Despite our long-held views that the panel be abolished this has not stopped us working alongside the FUW to design proposals to modernise and simplify the grading structure for agricultural workers in Wales.
The current grading structure agreed as part of the 2022 Order is more relevant to the nature of agricultural work and qualifications that are available today compared to the previous grading structure.
Further Information
Further Information on the Agricultural Wages including minimum wage rates that apply from 1st April 2026, apprentice rates and allowances alongside detailed guidance on issues such as the grading structure, overtime, training costs, holiday and sick pay can be found here.
The Agricultural Advisory Panel for Wales can also be contacted by phone on 0300 060 4400, e-mail at [email protected] or via post to Agricultural Minimum Wage Team, Welsh Government, County Hall, Spa Road East, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, LD1 5LG.