Seasonal worker shortage branded ‘unnecessary and costly’ The Government has placed British food producers ‘at the bottom of the list’ for migrant workers thanks to ‘unnecessary and costly’ uncertainty surrounding delayed Seasonal Workers Pilot announcements, according to MPs.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee has raised concerns about the British food supply chain’s ability to secure sufficient labour for summer 2021 under the Government’s new immigration policy.
The Committee also challenged the Government’s last-minute approach to finalising the details of the recruitment scheme for overseas seasonal workers.
National Farmers Union Scotland
National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) policy manager David Michie said:
Serious barriers remain for British meat exports, MPs warn
30 April 2021 |
MPs warn that trading barriers with the EU could render many UK meat businesses unviable
MPs have warned that British meat exporters who trade with the EU still face serious barriers , including considerable non-tariff issues such as red tape and checks.
The cross-party EFRA Committee has expressed urgent concerns for exporters of highly time-sensitive fresh and live seafood and meat shipments to the bloc.
Despite overcoming initial teething problems , the new barriers that small and medium sized businesses now face could render them unviable , its new report warned.
And if these exporting problems continue into the future, British factories and jobs could be left with no choice but to relocate to the continent.
By Harry Holmes2021-04-30T12:31:00+01:00
Food exporters have spent a total of 58 years filling out export health certificates so far this year as a result of the new post-Brexit trade rules, a leading trade body has said.
Export health certificates are required when shipping live animals or animal products such as meat and fish from Great Britain to the EU, Northern Ireland, or any other third country.
Karin Goodburn, director general of the Chilled Food Association, said official figures show the UK has issued 89,000 certificates so far this year, up from 806 over the same period last year – a 110-fold increase.
The Government must take a 'pragmatic' approach in discussions with the EU to reduce 'considerable' non-tariff barriers including red tape and checks that the new GB-EU trading environment has created for British companies