Guidance
What a gangmaster's licence is and who needs one
Guidance for people who provide and use labour in the agriculture, horticulture, shellfish, and food processing and packaging sectors.
Documents
Details
A gangmaster is a person or business that supplies workers to specific sectors in the UK.
The sectors are:
- agriculture
- horticulture
- shellfish gathering
- food processing and packaging
You’re also a gangmaster if you:
- use workers to gather shellfish
- instruct shellfish gatherers to collect items from a specific bed
- have an agreement to buy a catch drectly from shellfish gatherers
- buy a crop and use your own or other workers to harvest, process or pack it
To operate as a gangmaster, you must have a licence from the Fair Work Agency (FWA).
This document is general guidance on who needs a gangmaster’s licence.
Updates to this page
Published 7 April 2026