Meat processors in the UK announced a shortage of workers amid COVID-19

MEAT processors in the UK are facing the fact that up to 10% of employees are forced to self-isolate because they came into contact with people who have confirmed the diagnosis of CORONAVIRUS

According to the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), there is an acute shortage of personnel at the enterprises. About half a million people in England and Wales are forced to go into self-isolation. This is 46% more than in early July. The movement of people "in quarantine" is tracked using a special mobile application.

Nick Allen, executive DIRECTOR of the BMPA, said that the representatives of the Association are experiencing a shortage of employees from 5% to 10%. And this despite the fact that throughout the pandemic, meat processors are constantly lacking in working hands. As a result, some companies have to simplify the range of their products.

If the labor situation in the UK worsens, businesses will be forced to shut down entire production lines.

it is for this reason that the sector is calling on the government to include butchers on the national list of professions that are in short supply. According to BMPA representatives, this would allow the industry to temporarily fill vacancies with migrants until the current crisis ends.

In other countries, a labor market crisis has also emerged amid the pandemic. For example, retailers in Iceland have been forced to close stores due to staffing shortages caused by some vendors being quarantined.