Eating a turkey feast at Christmas is a tradition in the United Kingdom and the United States, but this Christmas, some British people may not have turkeys on the table. According to Graeme Deere, president of the British Poultry Federation, the UK may face a turkey shortage at Christmas due to a shortage of workers in the industry.
Graeme Deere made the above statement at a meeting of the relevant committees of the British Parliament on the 26th, saying that the British government approved the issuance of temporary visas to foreign workers, but the program only ended on December 31 this year. Although they will do their best to ensure that everyone has a normal Christmas, there is a good chance that there will be a shortage at that time. He noted: "Not only on Christmas Day, but every day of that week, the UK needs a lot of turkey. Graeme Deere argues that to address this issue, the period for issuing temporary visas to foreign workers should be extended from six weeks to two years.
The National Pig Association of the United Kingdom has a similar confusion, and the association's consultant Charlie Diolist said that the lack of labor has caused a large number of pigs to accumulate in British pig farms. There are now over 150,000 pigs in pig farms across the UK, and many have reached the upper limit of their feeding capacity. Downstream from pork products, the Uk Meat Processors Association also estimates that the UK is short of 10,000 slaughter workers, while training and hiring a fully qualified slaughterer takes 18 months.
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit, the UK is facing a severe labour shortage. A report from the UK food industry shows that the average vacancy rate for the industry's workforce is 13%, and the total number could exceed a staggering 50%.
