Speaking to Welsh Assembly members this week the chief executive of Hybu Cig Cymru HCC / Meat Promotion Wakes, Gwyn Howells, said that the Welsh meat industry needs an assurance that systems will be in place to allow it to employ enough workers and vets from EU countries after Brexit, or it will face a "huge problem".
HCC has already said more than 50% of meat processing workers in the Principality are migrants, mainly from the EU, and 90% of abattoir vets were also EU nationals.
Mr Howells made the point to Assembly Members (AM’s) that without workers and vets there would be "no product.” Adding that he hoped the points being put to UK ministers would be "heard and acted on."
Dealing with the issue of recruiting workers for processing plants, when speaking at the Assembly's Rural Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Howells commented that: "Hopefully there will be some clarity on a scheme that will mean that people feel happy to stay and to feel wanted. A lot of these plants need these people, they are very, very good in terms of the work that they do and contribute to society as well.”
On vets from EU countries working in abattoirs, he advised AMs that: "Ensuring public health is hugely important work, we must ensure we have enough of those people. We would not want a limitation on workforce to limit our ability to supply the marketplace."
Including vets on the shortage occupancy list, would mean they would be made a top priority under immigration rules, this was one possible solution, suggested by Mr Howells on Wednesday. The committee also considered the importance of Welsh branding to food sales and received representation from other interested parties across the Welsh food sector.
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.
