[5] The authority was handed a remit of preventing the exploitation of workers in the fresh produce sector — agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering, and all associated processing and packaging.

In making the announcement, Prime Minister David Cameron stated that the move would ‘strengthen its enforcement and intelligence capabilities’ by putting it directly alongside the considerable resources of the National Crime Agency.

The dedicated unit - made up of analysts from the National Crime Agency, police, Border Force, Immigration Enforcement, HM Revenue and Customs, and the GLAA - mirrors a joint working model successfully used to gather intelligence on terrorism.

[11] As of December 2022[update] legislation to create a single enforcement body has not yet been enacted and the delay with progressing the proposal has been widely criticised by organisations supporting vulnerable workers.

[13] The GLAA investigates circumstances where there is a risk of worker exploitation by gathering intelligence and working with police, government departments, and other enforcement agencies to target, dismantle and disrupt serious and organised crime across the UK labour market.

[15] The GLAA operates a licensing scheme regulating businesses who provide workers to the fresh produce supply chain, to make sure they meet the employment standards required by law.

Labour providers are assessed by GLAA compliance officers to check they are meeting the authority's licensing standards which cover health and safety, accommodation, pay, transport and training.