Theresa May has made an official offer to European Union leaders over the issue of future rights of EU citizens, proposing that those who arrive lawfully before Brexit obtain the chance to build up the same rights to work, healthcare and benefits as UK citizens.
The issue of migrant labour has raised concerns within the food industry, with representatives from various organisations pointing out the important role non-UK workforce plays in businesses.
The plan would grant EU migrants who had lived in the UK for five years at the cut-off date new “UK settled status”.
The Prime Minister told EU leaders that the UK would agree to a cut-off point between 29th March this year when Article 50 was formally triggered and the later date of March 2019, as reportedly preferred by the European Commission.
EU citizens already in the UK, and those who arrive lawfully during a “grace period” expected to be up to two years, will be given the opportunity to build up five years’ worth of residence.
The exact details on what will happen to almost one million people who have lived in the country less than five years is still unclear.
The key role played by migrant labour in the Scottish red meat industry was highlighted in a Brexit briefing paper published by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) a few days before May’s offer.
According to the paper, migrant labour makes a “significant contribution” to the farm workforce, as the majority of specialist pig producers in the country employ some non-UK, EU staff.
QMS’s head of Economics Services, Stuart Ashworth commented: “Where non-UK labour is of fundamental importance to the red meat supply chain is in the slaughter and processing sector.
“Not only is non-UK labour important on the factory floor but it is also key in respect of veterinary inspection.”
He added: “Without access to skilled domestic or migrant labour the ability of the Scottish red meat sector to contribute to the growth targets set by the Scotland Food and Drink Partnership in its Ambition 2030 strategy published in spring 2017 will be compromised.”
A different survey by the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers has also revealed that 52% of the unskilled workforce, 44% of the skilled workforce and 16% of supervisory and management staff are non-UK nationals.
In addition, Food Standards Scotland reports that around 98% of their official veterinarians are non-UK nationals.
The Food and Drink Federation’s director general, Ian Wright, welcomed May’s proposals regarding the rights of EU citizens and added: “We employ 117,000 EU workers within the food and drink sector and they play a vital role in guaranteeing the success of the £110 billion ‘farm to fork’ food chain.
“They are hugely valued, but in the past 12 months have lived under a cloud of uncertainty. It is time to allay their fears.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
