Study highlights Scottish red meat sector reliance on foreign labour
ByNancy Nicolson
The meat industry relies heavily on the work of non-UK residents
A detailed picture of the Scottish meat industry’s reliance on migrant labour shows that more than half the unskilled workers, 44% of skilled workers and 16% of management staff are non-UK nationals.
The statistics were revealed in a survey of Scottish abattoir operators conducted in the last few weeks for Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).
QMS say the reliance on non-UK labour may include an unwillingness of Scottish nationals to take on jobs which can involve unsocial hours, particularly in the slaughter sector, or in a work environment that includes working in chills or areas kept cool for food safety reasons.
QMS chairman Jim McLaren added: “Many meat processing businesses are located in areas with unemployment levels below the national average – for example, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Dumfries and Galloway, Perth and Kinross, Angus and Stirling.
“Abattoirs in these regions would account for some 70% of the Scottish cattle and pig kill and 90% of the Scottish sheep kill.”
Study highlights Scottish red meat sector reliance on foreign labour
