Scotland’s red meat abattoirs will struggle to function if Brexit negotiations result in a shortage of foreign labour.
That was the warning from the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW) and NFU Scotland following a visit to McIntosh Donald’s plant at Portlethen on the outskirts of Aberdeen.
Both organisations have called on the UK Government to give assurances on the employment status of non-UK staff following the UK’s exit from Europe.
SAMW senior vice president, Frank Clark, said an estimated 50% of the workforce in Scotland’s abattoirs and meat processing plants were from outwith the UK.
He said: “The potential loss of up to half our processing workforce, or even two years of confusion concerning the status of that workforce, would seriously damage the Scottish red meat sector’s ability to compete on the world stage, substantially reducing the industry’s contribution to the Scottish economy.
“Our request to government, therefore, is for clear assurances of long-term UK status to be given to our non-UK workforce. We also request that such assurances are provided now, not in two years’ time, or more. Failure to provide such assurances will damage the industry by stalling investment and undermining our existing and highly valued workforce. This must not be allowed to happen.”
NFU Scotland livestock committee chairman Charlie Adam, who farms at Braeside, Cushnie, Alford, said non-UK staff were a crucial part of the red meat supply chain.
He said: “While the timetable for Brexit remains to be defined, it is essential our abattoirs and processors don’t operate in an employment vacuum. Without a clear government-led employment strategy for non-UK staff identified at an early stage in the process, we will see our abattoirs struggle to function.”
He called on government to ensure abattoirs were not cut off from recruiting appropriate staff from outside the UK once the Brexit takes place.
“We have an industry in Scotland which provides top quality meat from farm to plate, but to keep this up we need the right people working in our red meat chain,” added Mr Adam.