Labor shortage in the UK poultry industry is 16%

The British Poultry Council (BPC) has warned that the industry could face a major crisis as the shortage of skilled workers widens and the government ignores signals from the industry.

The UK poultry industry is facing a significant shortage of workers in agriculture and processing, with businesses reporting an average vacancy rate of over 16% of their total workforce. The shortage of employees continues to grow due to the consequences of Brexit and is exacerbated by the government, which constantly acts against the interests of British food producers.

The sector is currently facing a severe shortage of manufacturing and manufacturing workers, who are classified as low-skilled workers by the Department of Labor but play an incredibly important role in maintaining the food supply and keeping the nation fed at all times, the BPC said in a press release. 

“Sector players are reporting that many have been forced to cut weekly chicken production by 5-10%, year-round turkey production by 10% and forecast a 20% reduction in Christmas turkey production. They say they are currently producing a limited range of products for UK customers. ", and are seriously concerned that the supply of basic chicken products will be reduced. All this is due to a shortage of labor. UK food security will suffer from a double whammy - food inflation and the need to rely on imported food. This can only lead to a two-tier food system, where high-quality British food will be out of reach for many financially struggling consumers," BPC said.

“When the heads of major food companies and even entire food sectors stand up and declare that we are in the worst position they have ever seen, our government has an obligation to correct this catastrophic situation that it has created. If this means relaxing immigration rules or passing a regulatory compliance with the EU, these are the steps that need to be taken to put the UK food industry on the path to recovery,” said Richard Griffiths, CEO of the British Poultry Council.

And this fact will be taken into account when preparing the monthly analytical report Meatinfo.ru