A new report by MPs has warned that food prices could rise unless the government changes its approach to its post-Brexit UK immigration system. According to an Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) inquiry into labour in the food supply chain ‘getting food businesses to move away from migrant workers will take time.’
The cross-party group of MPs has instead suggested a more transitional shift away from migrant labour rather than a hard stop when freedom of movement rights between Europe and the UK officially end on 1 January, 2021. The group has called on the government to be flexible in its approach to its post-Brexit UK immigration system in case its existing policy has an adverse effect on food businesses or food security. The MPs also urged the government to add job roles, such as veterinarians, to the Skilled Worker Shortage Occupation List.