Migration policy must be responsive to labour shortages, says BMPA
The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has backed calls by the chief executive of Sainsbury’s for the Government to review the Shortage Occupation List, which echoes what the BMPA has been saying for some time.
Speaking to The Times, Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts warned the UK Government that labour shortages within the food and farming industry could put pressure on food availability and have knock-on effects on prices.
The BMPA said that it needs Government migration policy to be responsive to proven labour shortages in the food supply chain. That means allowing companies “desperate for staff” to hire from overseas, including jobs that aren’t highly skilled but that the country is short of nevertheless.
This comes after the BMPA previously stated its position on labour shortages, following the publication of a Government-commissioned report into the issue. The trade body stressed that the solution to the problem was not an easy one.
Nick Allen, CEO of BMPA explained: “It’s an inconvenient truth that not enough British people are willing, able, or suitably geographically located to take up vacancies, not just in meat processing but also in the wider food supply chain and other sectors. The pool of suitable candidates for everything from butchers and packing line operators through to farm workers and carers is smaller than the number of job vacancies.”
“This isn’t about industries wanting to pay less for labour, it’s about wanting to stop prices rising further.”
Nick Allen
According to the BMPA, labour shortages stifle the ability of British companies to grow, and chokes off economic development. The BMPA also said that too many employers chasing too few workers stokes inflation; people will pay more for their food, goods and services, and not having enough people working to produce food in Britain makes the country more reliant on imports and erodes the UK’s food security.
Allen re-iterated the call from the British meat industry: “We’re calling on Government to adopt the pragmatic recommendations of the Shropshire Review. In particular we support the call to allow more semi-skilled workers to come here to work, and to relax the initial English language requirement for jobs that don’t require such a high level of attainment. This isn’t about industries wanting to pay less for labour, it’s about wanting to stop prices rising further from here.”
This news follows the publication of a report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (EFRA), which found there to be an incoherent approach to food policy across Government.
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