Meat industry cuts production amid Brexit-driven staff shortages
Labour shortages caused by post-Brexit immigration rules mean the UK meat industry has had to cut production, warning that without change it could soon be unable to fulfil orders.
Production in the meat industry had fallen by around 10 per cent since Easter because of worker shortages across farming and processing, the British Poultry Council told the Financial Times.
British Meat Processors Association chief executive Nick Allen told the FT the sector was “heading towards a brick wall”, with farmers now forced to prioritise some products and increase overtime payments to meet demands.
He said “one or two” meat processors were only one or two weeks away from failing to deliver to retail customers, and that farmers could no longer take animals off the farm.
“If I’m very honest about it, we’re reaching a point of despair,” Allen added.
The picture is similar to that experienced in hospitality, which is struggling with staff levels thanks to a combination of Brexit and the pandemic, which has compounded the loss of EU workers who have returned to their home countries sooner than anticipated.