Government's new 10,500 temporary UK visas fails to address long-term labour solutions

The Government's 'miniscule gesture' of granting up to 10,500 temporary UK visas for lorry drivers and poultry workers has failed to address long-term solutions to the labour crisis and ignored the dire welfare issue building within the pig sector, industry chiefs have warned. Yesterday's (Sunday September 26) announcement will see the recruitment for short-term hauliers and poultry workers begin in October until December 24, 2021, with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) working alongside Defra and the Department of Transport to process applications 'in a timely manner'. It is hoped to alleviate the labour crisis and limit disruption in the run-up to Christmas following months of mass labour shortages, exacerbated by the CO2 supply crisis last week, piling pressure on a struggling food chain. Defra Secretary George Eustice said: "We have listened to concerns from the sector and we are acting to alleviate what is a very tight labour market." But industry bodies were quick to highlight the Government's failure to find long-term solutions for the labour crisis, with British Chambers of Commerce president Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith stating the measures were the equivalent of 'throwing a thimble of water on a bonfire'. She called for the Government to 'significantly expand' the number of visas issued and to convene a summit with businesses to find immediate and longer-term solutions. "Without further action, we now face the very real prospect of serious damage to our economic recovery, stifled growth as well as another less than happy Christmas for many businesses and their customers across the country," she warned. The British Retail Consortium told the BBC that the number of visas being offered would 'do little to alleviate the current shortfall', with supermarkets needing an additional 15,000 HGV drivers to operate at full capacity ahead of Christmas. Despite branding the announcement a positive step to begin alleviating the supply chain pressures felt in the last 18 months, British Poultry Council chief executive Richard Griffiths said there was a risk this intervention came too late. "Supply chains are not something that can be simply switched on and off, so plans for production are already well underway and the necessary cutbacks due to ongoing labour shortages have already been made," Mr Griffiths said. "Key workers in food, regardless of where they come from, are an important part of Britain's cultural fabric and prestige."British food producers keep this country running and must have access to the skills and talent that this country sorely needs to ensure food for all."We look forward to working with the Government and invite them to take another look at their immigration and trade policies - which risk crippling British food security - to ensure longer term solutions to the issues."Ian Wright chief executive of The Food and Drink Federation added: "This is a start but we need the Government to continue to collaborate with industry and seek additional long-term solutions." Coffin The decision to exclude pig workers from the scheme was also slammed, with NFU vice president Tom Bradshaw tweeting: "I knew there would be highs and lows in the job but seeing the final nails put in the coffin of many in the pig sector is incredibly difficult to take. "To give a final chance all [the Government] needed to do was include pigs alongside poultry." Speaking to Farmers Guardian, National Pig Association chief executive Dr Zoe Davies said: "I am totally disappointed by the Government's decision not to include pigs. "Three months may not have made a difference long term but it would have helped remove the cliff edge producers are facing and reduced the backlog of an estimated 120,000 pigs currently rolled on UK farms. "This issue is not about Christmas, it is about pig welfare with many members getting desperate and I will be meeting with Defra later today to highlight our concerns." Mr Bradshaw added the union would continue to work with the Government to find solution for the wider labour needs, including trained and able butchers for pork production to deal with the increasingly serious build-up of pigs on farm and the risk of welfare issues.Exploitative Union Unite has also warned the Government's plans to relax immigration rules for lorry drivers and poultry producers were 'propping up a broken and exploitative system' and could create worse disruption down the line. Calling on the Government to protect workers and prevent a race to the bottom on working standards, Unite national officer for food, drink and agriculture, Bev Clarkson, said: "The poverty pay and insecure contracts on offer in poultry processing do not compensate for the physically draining and unpleasant work."That needs to change. What must not happen is the re-establishment of an employment system that relies on exploited migrant labour and pits workers against each other."Three months is an incredibly short amount of time for a visa scheme to operate in.

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Government's new 10,500 temporary UK visas fails to address long-term labour solutions

The Government’s ’miniscule gesture’ of granting up to 10,500 temporary UK visas for lorry drivers and poultry workers has failed to address long-term solutions to the labour crisis and ignored pig welfare.

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Government's new 10,500 temporary UK visas fails to address long-term labour solutions

The Government’s ’miniscule gesture’ of granting up to 10,500 temporary UK visas for lorry drivers and poultry workers has failed to address long-term solutions to the labour crisis and ignored pig welfare.

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