Farming labour shortage could mean price rises, MPs warn

Image source, Reuters

MPs warn that chronic labour shortages in the food and farming sector could lead to price rises and the UK becoming more dependent on food imports.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee said Covid had a huge impact on the sector.

The seasonal worker visa scheme should be expanded and English language rules for skilled workers should be relaxed.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is continuing to work with the sector.

Out of a workforce of four million, there were more than half a million job vacancies in the food and farming sector last year.

The daffodil crop in the UK was left un picked. The produce was left rotting in the fields.

A lack of skilled butchers and abattoir workers meant some 35,000 pigs were destined to be made into sausages, bacon and chops.

The government set up a temporary visa scheme when the Christmas turkey supply was threatened by a shortage of workers.

The committee heard that industry members had been warning the government since spring 2021. It had a serious impact on animal welfare, food security, and the mental health of workers.

The report welcomed some of the government's work, but warned that without fundamental change the UK was facing a chain reaction of wage rises, leading to price increases and food production being exported abroad.

Neil Parish, chairman of the EFRA committee, said that the government's attitude to the plight of food and farming workers was disappointing.

There was an "unwelcome tendency" to blame the sector for not doing more to tackle the problem or fully utilize the immigration system, because of the government's failure to grasp the labour issues.

The impact of the new immigration regime and Covid had been said to becrippling by Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association.

As a result of the conflict in Ukraine, we find ourselves faced with a severe test of the UK's food security, it is clear that this approach has allowed structural weaknesses to develop, which have compromised Britain's food resilience.

The director of policy and corporate affairs of the FDF said that many businesses are struggling with labour shortages because of the inflationary pressures on UK food and drink manufacturers.

The new report calls for a radical rethink of labour strategy, including a review of the skilled workers visa scheme, and for the seasonal workers pilot visa scheme to be made permanent.

The English language requirement should be tailored to the needs of the industry. Some workers could be tested less stringently.

The MPs said that home-grown talent should be retained along with the development of new technology.

In a statement, Defra said it continues to work with the sector to tackle the labour challenges it faces and has already given it greater certainty by extending and expanding its (seasonal and skilled) overseas workers visa schemes.