2 Sisters’ poultry labour shortage eased by temporary visas
Founder of 2 Sisters Food Group Ranjit Singh Boparan said that up to 900 EU seasonal workers have been sourced for his turkey processing centres in East Anglia.
In September, it was announced that 5,500 poultry workers from the EU would be able to work in the UK ahead of Christmas. The change in rules followed months of campaigning from the industry for temporary workers to ensure enough birds are processed in the run-up to the Christmas period.
Boparan explained that workers – sourced from countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Romania and Bulgaria – will provide the much needed labour capacity uplift when production increases by up to 400% in the run up to Christmas.
“This has helped us save Christmas”
Mr Boparan said: “We can sometimes be quick to criticise and challenge the government, as I have done myself on several occasions, but we also need to say thank you when we think they’ve got it right and they deliver. The bottom line is that this has helped us save Christmas, not only for us, but all producers in this sector, and of course for the consumer.”
He added that he was “hopeful similar arrangements could be made for next year”, with an earlier visa process start date. He continued: “Labour as a key structural challenge for our sector is here for 12 months of the year, and it’s one that’s not going to go away.”
According to 2 Sisters, Boparan intends to write to the government and MPs local to his turkey sites extending his thanks for the success of the scheme.
‘Today’s the day’ as the Women In Meat Industry Awards return
