SNP and Tories MSPs joined forces at Holyrood today to block a bid to ensure “standards of decency and dignity” in housing for migrant farmworkers.

Socialist MSP Richard Leonard introduced an amendment to the Agriculture and Rural Commuities (Scotland) Bill calling for the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board, which sets wages by rates for tied accommodation, to enforce housing standards.

He said: “We receive report after report containing irrefutable evidence that migrant seasonal workers brought over by labour providers on six-month visas under the seasonal worker visa scheme are not living but barely existing on farms in Portakabins or static caravans that are not insulated and that are damp and covered in mould, which have security and personal safety issues and which are infested with rodents and where there are no laundry facilities and unsanitary conditions are all too common.

“All those findings have been unearthed by the authoritative Worker Support Centre Scotland.

“That is why I have lodged my amendment — to set some standards of decency and dignity.”

He added: “There is a huge gap in regulation and in enforcement, and so in protection.”

Responding, SNP Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Mairi Gougeon urged MSPs to wait for the government’s “public consultation on our new cross-tenure housing standard in 2025.”

Mr Leonard hit back: “The government is proud of its record on encouraging immigration, which I support, but we need to treat people properly when they arrive and it is obvious from the evidence that we have seen that that is not happening, so we cannot wait until 2026 or 2027.

“What will happen next week? What will happen next month?”

Labour and Green MSPs both backed the enforcement of housing standards for migrant farmworkers, but Tories and SNP united to defeat them by 87 votes to 26.

The wages board was contacted for comment.