The UK food sector is on the path to serious decline. That’s the stark conclusion of the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s recent report on labour shortages in the industry.
Pointing to supply chain disruption, unharvested crops and the culling of healthy pigs as examples of issues that are currently blighting the sector, the committee warned that the UK market “faces permanent shrinkage if a failure to address its acute labour shortages leads to wage rises, price increases, reduced competitiveness and, ultimately, food production being exported abroad and increased imports”.
Striking stuff. And it is inarguable that the food sector is struggling mightily with labour problems. This is partly Brexit-induced, given the outflow of European workers and a new immigration framework, and partly pandemic-driven, due to a quicker-than-expected recovery, which has left operators exposed against a tightening labour market.