There is no doubt about the seriousness of the issues facing the food and farming sector caused by labour shortages, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has said in its latest report.
In it, the committee said labour shortages in the food and farming sector could cause ‘permanent damage’ if the Government fails to address the lack of workers due mainly to covid-19 and Brexit.
Despite the sector flagging significant concern, the shortage of labour in 2021 took a toll on food security, the welfare of animals and the mental health of those who work in the industry, MPs report.
The Committee was frustrated by the reluctance of Government to engage with the industry over labour shortages. Despite valiant attempts by the industry, Ministers failed to understand the issues and even sought to pass the blame onto the sector. Today’s report urges Government to have a radical rethink to prevent future interventions coming too late.
Revised immigration measures could address the current crisis. For example, the Report calls for a review of the Skilled Workers Visa scheme including the complexity and costs faced by employers and tailoring the English language requirement to meet the needs of the sector.
While there have been welcome changes to the Seasonal Worker Pilot, the inclusion of the ornamental sector necessitates the Government to make available the extra 10,000 visas ear-marked and for the scheme to be made permanent.
However, a reliance on overseas labour must be reduced in preference for a long-term labour strategy that grows and develops home-grown talent, combining attractive education and vocational training packages with the deployment of new technology.
While the Committee welcomed some of the Government’s work in the area, it warns that without fundamental change, the UK is facing a chain reaction of wage rises, leading to price increases and food production being exported abroad.
The Chair of the EFRA Committee, Neil Parish MP, said: “In 2021 farmers faced an extraordinary situation – crops were left to rot in the fields and healthy pigs were culled due to a lack of workers. This has serious implications for the well-being of the people who put food on our tables today and in the future. The Government’s attitude to the plight of food and farming workers was particularly disappointing.
“While some of the reforms put forward by Government have helped in the short term, and we agreed that we must look to expand the domestic workforce – this won’t happen overnight. In the meantime, it must use the powers available – including over immigration policy – to support the sector. Otherwise we will export our food production and import more of our food. Even more importantly, Government must change its attitude to the food and farming sector – trusting them and acting promptly when they raise concerns. Our food and farmers depend on it.”
The Horticultural Trades Association’s (HTA) Public Affairs and Policy Manager David Lydiat added: “It has been clear to those in the Horticulture industry for some time that workforce shortages have been significant due to the impact of UK leaving the EU and the pandemic. Britain’s tree and plant growers require an immediate 3,000 increase in full-time workers. Although we welcome being recently included in the Seasonal Workers Scheme, the current regulation means that our members are competing directly with edible horticulture in the same restricted pool of labour. We need the Government to realise that the scheme needs to be extended immediately with both ornamental horticulture and farming being allocated the numbers required to meet the demand of both sectors. This is in the interests of the UK economy, environment and food security.”