Chronic labour shortages in the food and farming sector could see food prices continue to rise, according to MPs.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee report – devised by six Tory and four Labour MPs along with one SNP colleague – said that as of August last year the sector had “potentially in excess of 500,000 job vacancies”.
It found evidence of pressure and shortages before the outbreak of war in Ukraine had caused the sector to experience “even greater pressure”.
“The evidence we have taken leaves us in no doubt about the seriousness of the issues facing the food and farming sector caused by labour shortages,” wrote the study’s authors.
“These include food security, animal welfare and the mental health of those working in the sector.
“In contrast, the Government has not demonstrated a strong understanding of these issues, and even on occasion sought to pass the blame onto the sector on the basis of incorrect information about its own immigration system.”
The report says Government must learn lessons from the way it introduced temporary short-term visas in autumn 2021, and recommends it should act promptly on industry concerns.
It also calls for a review of aspects of the skilled worker visa scheme, including the complexity and costs involved in application.
Other recommendations include increasing the number of Seasonal Workers Pilot scheme visas by 10,000, making the scheme permanent and committing to announcing visa numbers in future on a rolling five-year basis.
The National Pig Association (NPA) said the report had given credence to the evidence it gave to the inquiry into labour shortages.
The association’s chief executive Zoe Davies said: “Ministers need to stop arguing that labour shortages are not a problem, stop deflecting blame onto the industry, and as the report suggests, sit down with us to understand the problems and look at how we can work together to find solutions.”
NFU President Minette Batters said the EFRA committee’s report backed up the union’s long-standing call for a “more enabling immigration policy which mitigates against the crippling labour shortages and structural issues that have existed throughout the food supply chain for many months.”
She added: “To ensure stability in domestic food production, the government needs to act urgently to give farmers and growers the confidence they need to invest in domestic production and enable British food and farming to thrive.”