Gangmasters Licence (GLAA) Explained

Law

Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004

Where

England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Since 7 April 2026

Licences issued by the Fair Work Agency

Unlicensed supply

Up to 10 years' imprisonment on indictment

What a gangmasters licence is, at a glance

A gangmaster is anyone who supplies a worker to do work covered by the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 for another person. Under section 4 it doesn't matter whether you employ the worker, whether intermediaries sit in the chain, or who controls the work. If you supply workers into a covered sector, you need a licence, and without one it is a criminal offence to trade.

Most recruitment agencies never need one. As our guide to starting a recruitment agency explains, there is no general operating licence for agencies in Great Britain. The gangmaster's licence is the sector-specific exception.

Which sectors need a licence

Section 3 of the Act sets out the work it applies to:

• agricultural work, which the Act defines broadly: dairy farming, producing consumable produce for any trade, business or other undertaking (whether or not for profit), and using land for grazing, meadow or pasture, orchards, osier land or woodland, market gardens or nursery grounds;
• gathering shellfish; and
• processing or packaging any produce derived from agricultural work, or shellfish, fish or products derived from shellfish or fish.

In practice that third limb is wide. The Fair Work Agency's detailed guidance treats processing and packaging of a broad range of products derived from agricultural produce, fish or shellfish as covered, from bread, biscuits and yoghurt to alcohol and animal feed, and packing work is covered even if the worker never handles the product. The Gangmasters Licensing (Exclusions) Regulations 2013 carve out further activities. For example, no licence is needed to supply a worker to process or pack produce in a catering establishment, a shop or other retail establishment, a wholesale market, a wholesale establishment or a qualifying distribution warehouse. Northern Ireland has its own exclusions regulations.

The agency model doesn't change the answer. The Fair Work Agency's detailed guidance on who needs a licence says an employment business supplying a temp into licensable work must be licensed, and an employment agency making a permanent placement into licensable work also needs a licence.

Territory. Under section 30 the Act extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. So, unlike the Conduct Regulations, which cover England, Scotland and Wales, gangmaster licensing applies across the whole UK, including coastal waters. Section 5 applies it to a gangmaster based outside the UK too, if the work is here.

Who is responsible now: from the GLAA to the Fair Work Agency

Until April 2026, licences were issued by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), which is why people still search for a "GLAA licence". Gov.uk now records that the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority was replaced by the Fair Work Agency (FWA), an executive agency of the Department for Business and Trade. Since 7 April 2026, section 7 of the Act has given the power to grant licences to the Secretary of State, and the FWA does that work.

The FWA's collection on getting and maintaining a gangmaster's licence, published on 10 April 2026, is now the main reference. Our employment law changes 2026 guide covers the wider shift of enforcement bodies into the FWA.

How to apply for a licence

The FWA's guidance on applying for or renewing a licence sets out the process:

• Apply online and pay an application and inspection fee. The fee band depends on your expected gross annual turnover in the regulated sectors, including VAT charged to clients, and fees are not refunded.
• Expect checks and an inspection. Gov.uk says applications are usually checked within 10 weeks of paying the fee, and it can take longer for businesses based outside the UK.
• Renew every year. A licence lasts one year. You can renew online from six weeks before it expires. If it lapses, you must apply for a new licence and can't supply workers into the regulated sectors until you have one.

If you're unsure whether an activity is licensable, the Contact the Fair Work Agency page lists the licensing team's phone line and email address.

The offence of supplying workers without one

The Act puts criminal liability on both sides of the arrangement.

Acting as an unlicensed gangmaster. Under section 12 it is an offence to act as a gangmaster without a licence, and an offence to hold a false or improperly obtained licence document, or one relating to someone else, intending to pass off unlicensed activity as licensed. On indictment, either offence carries up to ten years' imprisonment, a fine, or both. On summary conviction the maximum is 12 months in England and Wales and six months in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Using an unlicensed gangmaster. Under section 13, a business that enters into arrangements under which an unlicensed gangmaster supplies it with workers or services also commits an offence. The FWA guidance puts the maximum at six months' imprisonment and a fine. Section 13(2) gives a defence if the business proves it took all reasonable steps to satisfy itself that the gangmaster was licensed, and did not know, and had no reasonable grounds to suspect, that it wasn't. That is why clients in these sectors check the FWA public register before they use you, and why an agency subcontracting to another labour provider should check that provider too.

Does your agency need one? A quick self-check

Work through these in order:

1. Is any of the work in section 3? Agricultural work, gathering shellfish, or processing or packaging produce from farming, fish or shellfish. This includes most food and drink production and packing lines. If not, you don't need a licence.
2. Are you supplying the worker, or using them to provide a service? A temp assignment, a permanent placement and a labour-only service contract can all count.
3. Does an exclusion apply? Check the 2013 Exclusions Regulations, for example supply to a catering establishment, shop or wholesale market.
4. Still unsure? Ask the FWA licensing team before you supply anyone. Supplying first and asking later is the offence.

How Templio supports licensed-sector compliance

Templio is timesheet, approval and invoicing software for recruitment agencies. It tracks your contractors' compliance documents in a document vault with expiry alerts. It doesn't check whether your agency or your suppliers are licensed, it doesn't manage your gangmaster's licence, and it isn't legal advice. See our recruitment agency compliance checklist for where a licence sits alongside your other duties. Start your 14-day free trial, no card required.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. It reflects the law and gov.uk guidance as at the "Last reviewed" date. Check the live legislation.gov.uk and gov.uk pages before relying on a specific rule.