After Defra announced on Wednesday that it is fast-tracking the closure of the Agricultural Wages Board, following a consultation period on the plans in late November, the Welsh government and trade unions have reacted strongly to the government's plans.

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The Agricultural Wage Board sets pay and conditions for agricultural workers in England and Wales; this includes tied-in housing, sick leave, arrangements covering protective clothing and annual leave. Under the government's plans, the board could be closed down by October 2013.

Whilst the devolved governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland have managed to retain their wage boards, despite sustained protestations from the Welsh government, the AWB's dissolution will also affect workers in Wales. Defra said that although agricultural policy is a devolved issue, wage control is not and therefore the fate of Welsh workers is tied in with their English compatriots,

Although under its initial considerations the government would have had to take Welsh ministers' views into account, with the announcement on Wednesday that plans to scrap the board would now be included with the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, rather than a bill on public bodies, the government successfully sidestepped this.

A Welsh government spokesperson said the decision "Circumvents and undermines the consent procedures in the Public Bodies Act that were carefully negotiated between the two governments." The Welsh government has the support of a large part of the Welsh farming industry; the FUW and Young Farmers Federation have given their support in calls to retain the board. They maintain the dissolution risks exacerbating rural poverty and starting a "race to the bottom."

Farming minister David Heath said upon making the announcement that, "Scrapping these outdated and bureaucratic rules will significantly reduce burdens to farmers while keeping workers extremely well protected." He added, "I’m convinced it's the right move to help agriculture take advantage of the huge opportunities to prosper in coming years."

However, shadow farming minister Huw Irranca-Davies countered on Thursday, "It is typical that the Government sneaked out this announcement just hours before Parliament shuts down for Christmas, ignoring the strong views against abolition expressed in the consultation, and with no regard to the will of the Welsh Government. The Government admits that the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board will take £240 million out of the pockets of farm workers over the next ten years." Mr  Irranca-Davies described the decision to scrap the AWB as "a bitter blow to the rural economy."

Welsh AMs have described Defra's four week consultation on the matter as "a charade" and trade union Unite said the majority of the responses to the government's consultation had been in favour of retaining the board, England's last surviving wage board.

Unite spokesperson Len McCluskey said, "This is another shameful assault on workers for which there is no evidence base… just one more disgraceful act by a government that has no economic plan for our nation other than to strip back workers' rights.  This will ill-serve our rural communities driving already low wages down further still for vulnerable rural workers and swelling even more the profits of the big supermarkets."

McCluskey continued, "Scrapping the board will save the government a paltry £50,000 per year yet it will see millions of pounds that ought to be workers' wages transfer to the wealthy retailers and big employers. David Heath, the Liberal Democrat minister who is presiding over this shameful wealth transfer, and who once stood up to defend the AWB, would do well to consider his future.  His seat is a marginal one and agricultural workers are unlikely to forget either his hypocrisy or this malign act any time soon."