All Coronavirus articles
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NewsDamning report on Defra's Weybridge facility
The Redevelopment of Defra’s animal health infrastructure report has been released today [16th November] by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts and it hits out at Government as not sufficiently prioritising the “significant threat to UK health, trade, farming and rural communities” posed by animal diseases. Tony Goodger, ...
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NewsBritish meat producers receive multi-million-pound pandemic boost from Aldi
Since the pandemic began, British meat farmers have been among those benefitting from greater investment in domestic suppliers, Aldi has claimed.Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi UK and Ireland.The supermarket chain said it has spent an extra £1.6 billion with British suppliers since the Covid-19 crisis began. This includes £125 million ...
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NewsPotential meat shortages due to rising Covid-19 cases, says BMPA
The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has warned that plans to bring more butchers from the EU may be disrupted amid a rise in Covid-19 cases.Nick Allen, chief executive of British Meat Processors Association (BMPA).Up to 800 pork butchers are now eligible to apply for visas from the existing allocation ...
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NewsUK haulage industry asks PM to tackle driver shortage
In a letter organised by the Road Haulage Association (RHA), addressed to the Prime Minister, businesses and trade bodies said that the current shortage of HGV drivers “must be addressed urgently."The group said that short-term solutions are needed while the industry takes time to invest in and train a domestic ...
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NewsAIMS calls on government to reallocate poultry worker visas
The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) has called on the UK government to redistribute any unused seasonal poultry visas to the wider meat industry.A spokesperson for AIMS, Tony Goodger, said that the Association has heard from three of the four existing government-nominated labour providers that they have around 1500 ...
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NewsNPA calls for butchery visas to tackle pig backlogs
The National Pig Association (NPA) has urged the government to extend its offer of short-term visas to butchery workers to help avoid further disruption in the pig sector.NPA chief executive Dr Zoe Davies.The government has announced that up to 5,500 poultry workers will be able to work in the UK ...
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NewsGovernment looking at SAWS as solution to labour shortage
George Eustice, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has said the government was "looking at options", including the Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme (SAWS), as a means of tackling the current workforce crisis. “Some real concerns”According to the BBC, Eustice said there are "some real concerns about ...
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NewsFood industry issues united call for Covid-19 Recovery Visa
In a letter to the Prime Minister, organisations from across the food sector have asked for the urgent implementation of a Covid-19 Recovery Visa to help alleviate the current labour shortages.This follows an emergency roundtable convened by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), with representatives from the UK food supply chain, ...
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NewsNPA warns CO2 shortage could mean “game over” for some producers
Dr Zoe Davies, chief executive of the National Pig Association (NPA), has once again called for urgent action over the 110,000 pigs backed up on farms because of the ongoing labour and CO2 shortages.CO2 is used across the food and drinks industry, including for stunning animals at abattoirs before slaughter.Davies ...
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NewsUK CO2 shortages "could cancel Christmas", says Bernard Matthews boss
Bernard Matthews boss Ranjit Singh Boparan has voiced concerns over the current gas shortages, warning that the crisis could jeopardise food supplies unless the government intervenes.The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has also spoken out about the current CO2 shortages, warning of massive disruption to the supply chain when stocks ...
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News50,000 more HGV driving tests each year, DFT says
The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced more HGV tests will be made available each year primarily by shortening the application process and the tests themselves.The government has announced plans to accelerate the process of obtaining an HGV driver licence as a means of tackling the nation-wide labour shortages. The ...
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NewsFDF warns supply chain disruption is here to stay
The just-in-time supply system may never work again, resulting in "permanent shortages", according to the Food and Drink Federation's chief executive Ian Wright.FDF chief executive Ian Wright CBE.Addressing an event organised by the Institute for Government, Wright reportedly said that the labour shortage disrupting the food supply chain would get ...
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NewsLabour shortage will raise prices, says Morrisons
The supermarket chain said that the current shortage of HGV drivers was part of a number of factors driving some "industry-wide retail price inflation” expected during the second half of the year.Morrisons said that the company was “working hard” to address the continued challenges of Covid-19 and sustained supply chain ...
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NewsPig backlog on farms reaches 85,000 amid labour shortages
The National Pig Association (NPA) has again urged the government to take immediate action to address the labour crisis crippling the food and farming sector. According to the association, the chronic shortage of labour affecting meat processing plants is causing a growing backlog of pigs on farms. There are currently ...
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NewsLabour shortages may lead to offshore production, says BRC
Andrew Opie, director of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), has spoken out about the current workforce shortages, warning that factories “cannot recruit enough indigenous people.”Speaking at a session of the UK Trade and Business Commission, Opie said that the sector was “struggling” amid the current workforce shortages.According to a report ...
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NewsBacklogs on pig farms affecting carcase weights
According to figures by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), the ongoing labour shortages have had a knock-on effect on the rate of slaughterings and carcase weights.Around 70,000 pigs have been backed up on farms due to the workforce shortages, the National Pig Association (NPA) has estimated. The association ...
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News£2bn loss in food sales related to Brexit, FDF report finds
The latest report from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) shows a £2 billion loss in food sales has been attributed to a “drop in sales to the EU.”Sales of UK food and drink to non-EU countries were up 13%, accounting for 46.6% (£4.3 billion) of all UK food and ...
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NewsScottish food sector calls for pre-Christmas action on labour shortages
An open letter from Scotland’s food and drink industry to the Scottish and UK governments requests urgent action to tackle staff shortfalls ahead of the crucial Christmas season.Martin Morgan, executive manager of Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers, was among the signatories of the letter.Organised by FDF Scotland, the letter was ...
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NewsUK food industry sets out "clear ways" of overcoming labour shortages
The UK food and drink sector has set out recommendations in a new report, asking the government for a 12-month Covid-19 Recovery Visa to help alleviate the current workforce shortages across the food supply chain.The report was produced by Grant Thornton on behalf of industry members such as British Meat ...
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NewsIceland MD says Christmas supply chain at risk
Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland, warned that further disruptions to the food supply chain could lead to bigger stock problems months along the line.Iceland managing director, Richard Walker.Walker told the BBC that Christmas was in danger of being “cancelled” if the driver shortage is not dealt with by the ...
