02.11.2020

In England, they urgently want 1,000 workers from Bulgaria and Romania

Turkey producers in the UK are demanding an urgent exception to recruit 1,000 seasonal workers from abroad by the end of the month, mostly from Poland, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria, to ensure that Christmas supplies do not collapse, the e-edition FarmingUK reported.

The British Poultry Council, which requested it, is convinced that the sector may not survive without workers outside the UK. However, with the imposed measures to combat the coronavirus in the country, there is a danger of a shortage of highly skilled labor for agriculture. Data show that about 9 million turkeys are raised in the UK each year for Christmas.

"If these vacancies cannot be filled, this will have a significant impact on production, and hence on food costs. All of this will pose a risk to financial opportunities and eventually force people to buy less food this Christmas,” said Richard Griffiths, the council's chief executive.

There is a shortage of British workers with the necessary training and qualifications for the slaughter and processing of turkeys, the publication notes. Farmers are highly dependent on licensed and trained workers from the European Union with specific skills in growing, processing and cutting.

The council is adamant that these skills cannot be acquired without continuous training and "cannot be provided" by British workers, especially those who are currently out of work. "Furthermore, it is ineffective to train and develop the skills of British workers for the short remaining period. If the sector fails to import trained workers from abroad, then the level and quality of production will be put at significant risk,” Griffiths said.

He called on the government to ensure that poultry meat in the country remains "accessible and accessible to all". "Losing control of the way we eat as a nation will punish British food producers at a time when we should be taking our food security into our own hands," he said.