Agricultural Recruitment Specialists

What Agricultural Recruitment Specialists does

Agricultural Recruitment Specialists (AgriRS) is a privately held, UK-based specialist recruitment and executive search consultancy founded in 2012 by Rebekah Shields and headquartered in Droitwich, Worcestershire. The firm recruits across agriculture, farming, food and fresh produce, horticulture, environmental, and rural sectors, operating throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide, with coverage spanning at least 12 sub-verticals including agronomy, animal health and veterinary, AgriTech/machinery/engineering, dairy, animal feed, fresh produce, groundcare/forestry, and renewable energy/anaerobic digestion. Its candidate base exceeds 80,000 individuals, ranging from graduate trainees to board-level executives.

The underlying technology is a recruitment platform combining a public job board with a client-facing Talent Hub portal and a candidate management system; no proprietary AI, API or SDK layers are publicly documented. Distribution runs through the company website, a multi-channel social presence (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X), and an active blog covering career guidance and industry intelligence. The firm holds industry accreditations including REC membership, Disability Confident Committed status, Armed Forces Covenant Bronze Award, and Worcestershire Inclusive Leaders.

Revenue is generated on a contingency recruitment model — fees tied to successful permanent placements — alongside executive search mandates, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led: direct engagement with both employer clients (enterprise and SMB) seeking agricultural talent and candidate job seekers, served globally but with operational depth concentrated in the UK. The company has no disclosed funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no institutional ownership; it remains an independent, founder-led limited company with 11–50 employees.

Name

Agricultural Recruitment Specialists

Legal name

Agricultural Recruitment Specialists Ltd

Website

https://agrirs.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is a UK-based, founder-led specialist recruitment and executive search firm connecting agricultural talent with employers across farming, food, horticulture, and rural sectors in the UK, Europe and worldwide since 2012.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD)

Keywords

• Agricultural recruitment
• Executive search
• Talent sourcing
• Job board services
• Sector specialism

Headquarters

HQ city

Droitwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Contingency Recruitment Services: The company earns revenue by placing candidates into permanent positions for clients. They serve both employers (finding talent) and candidates (finding jobs). The company recruits across all job types from graduates to CEOs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is a recruitment and executive search consultancy that connects agricultural, farming, food, fresh produce, horticulture, environmental and rural-sector talent with employers across the UK, Europe and worldwide. The firm operates a contingency recruitment model placing candidates from graduate through to CEO level, supported by an executive search practice, a sector-specific online job board and a Talent Hub client portal. The company maintains a database of more than 80,000 candidates across 14 vertical sectors.

Product overview

Agricultural Recruitment Specialists is the international market leader in recruitment and executive search for agriculture, farming, food and fresh produce, horticulture, environmental, and rural sectors. Founded in 2012, the company operates throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide, recruiting for all job types from graduates to CEOs. Their product portfolio comprises core recruitment services, executive search (headhunters), a Talent Hub client service, and an online job board platform. They specialize across 14 distinct sector areas including agricultural services, AgriTech/machinery/engineering, agronomy, animal health/veterinary, animal feed, dairy farming, farming, food/fresh produce, groundcare/amenity/forestry, horticulture, renewable energy, and senior/international agricultural recruitment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agricultural Recruitment Services
• Executive Search / Headhunters
• Job Board Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Database of over 80,000 candidates for placement

Named customers6 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC)coreOthersMembership in the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, the UK's professional body for the recruitment industry. Displayed as a badge on their website indicating professional accreditation and adherence to industry standards.
• Disability Confident CommittedminorOthersGovernment scheme membership demonstrating commitment to disability equality in employment practices.
• Worcestershire Inclusive LeadersminorOthersRegional inclusive employment initiative in Worcestershire promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Armed Forces Covenant - Bronze AwardminorOthersBronze award holder under the Armed Forces Covenant, demonstrating commitment to supporting members of the armed forces community in employment.
• LinkedInmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media platform for professional networking and employer branding, used for talent sourcing and company visibility.
• FacebookminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media platform for brand awareness and employer branding purposes.
• InstagramminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVisual social media platform for brand awareness and industry presence.
• Twitter/XminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media platform for industry updates and engagement.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Zest Recruitment: UK-based specialist recruitment firm focused on food and drink manufacturing, fresh produce, and agricultural supply chain roles. Directly comparable on vertical focus and permanent placement model overlapping with AgriRS's food, fresh produce, and agronomy practice areas.
• De Lacy Executive Recruitment: UK-headquartered executive search and recruitment firm specializing exclusively in agriculture, food, and the rural economy. Directly comparable to AgriRS because both operate permanent placement + executive search in the same agricultural vertical with similar employer and candidate profiles.
• MorePeople: UK recruitment consultancy focused on the food, fresh produce, agriculture, horticulture, and AgriTech sectors. Closely comparable on vertical specialization, candidate-and-employer business model, and UK headquarter base with international reach claims.
• Agricultural and Farming Jobs (AFJ): UK online job board and recruitment platform dedicated to agriculture and farming roles. Overlaps with AgriRS on target sectors and candidate base, though distribution is more job-board led than consultative executive search.
• Coulter Partners: International executive search firm with a dedicated Agriculture, Food & Beverage practice. Comparable on the executive search / headhunting service line within AgriRS, particularly for senior and board-level agri appointments.

Broad incumbents

• Hays UK: Large UK generalist recruitment group with a dedicated Agriculture and Farming specialism serving life sciences, food, and rural sectors. Competes with AgriRS for permanent agri placements but as part of a much broader multi-vertical portfolio.
• REED: One of the UK's largest generalist recruitment and employment platforms with broad coverage that includes agriculture and food roles. Overlaps with AgriRS in agricultural permanent placement, but does not specialize in the vertical.
• Michael Page UK: Global professional recruitment firm with agriculture, food, and AgriTech coverage via sector pages. Competes with AgriRS's mid-to-senior permanent placement services for enterprise clients seeking cross-vertical hiring capability.
• Robert Half UK: Global staffing and recruitment firm with AgriFood sector exposure. Different from AgriRS on breadth versus depth, but overlaps on permanent placement services targeting agricultural and food-sector employers.

Emerging players

• AgFend / AgFender Talent Network: Emerging digital-first agriculture talent platforms and AgriTech-career communities challenging traditional agency recruitment with self-serve job marketplaces. Adjacent competitor to AgriRS's job board and candidate registration services, particularly for early-career and tech-leaning agri candidates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AgriRS
• Facebookfacebook.com/AgriculturalRecruitmentSpecialistsLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agricultural-recruitment-specialists-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/agriculturalrecruitment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agricultural Recruitment Specialists