British meat industry faces a huge lack of workers
UK meat industry prepares for huge disruptions in the supply chain, as the government seems to not take into consideration warnings launched by multiple representatives of the sector. "Pay rates in the meat industry have risen close to 10% this year, but we still have five times more vacancies. And this picture is being repeated across the food supply chain with staff shortages reaching the critical level where food supply will be disrupted and prices will have to rise," warned food and transport industry associations in a joint letter sent to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "I have never have had chief executives of massively large companies phone me up and say 'Nick, we have to do something. We have to get the message through to government, to people, that we are weeks away from a crisis.' I have never had that happen. I think we are heading towards a brick wall in a car with no brakes," commented Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Producers Association (BMPA), in an interview for ITV channel.
Leaders of a series of business groups across the food and logistic sectors say that the number of unfilled vacancies has risen above 100,000 and the current policies for immigration are not helping to fill this gap. Worse than that, the UK government is paying up to GBP 3,000 to re-patriate EU workers who haven't applied for settled status by the 30 June deadline, a measure which may aggravate the crisis.
(Photo source: NCH Europe)
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