Status: 10/15/2021 1:33 p.m.
There is no end in sight to Britain’s personnel crisis: numerous butchers are missing. In order to prevent additional suffering for the animals, the government issues up to 800 work visas for foreign skilled workers.
Hundreds of overseas butchers are said to alleviate pork congestion on British farms. Up to 800 skilled workers can apply for temporary work visas by the end of the year. The government announced in London. You can then stay in the country for up to six months. According to media reports, the requirements should be made significantly easier. For example, the government could waive the requirement to have advanced knowledge of English.
The National Pig Association warned of an “acute animal welfare disaster”. 6000 healthy pigs have already been culled on the farms. If there is no solution, 10,000 animals per week would soon have to be killed on the farm. British pig farmers warn that a total of around 120,000 healthy animals would have to be killed on the farms and thrown in the trash if the situation does not ease. The slaughterhouses lack employees and the farms do not have enough space.
“Temporary visas are not a long-term solution”
In addition, the government wants to suspend a slaughter tax and promote additional accommodation for pigs ready for slaughter. The government said it also expects the pork industry to offer better training and career opportunities, as well as wage increases to attract more local workers. “Temporary visas are not a long-term solution and businesses need long-term investments in the UK’s native workforce to build a high-paying and high-skilled economy rather than relying on foreign workers,” it said.
Strict Brexit immigration rules
One reason for the shortage of butchers is that the strict Brexit immigration rules are preventing the influx of skilled workers from the EU. This also affects other industries. The British government had previously announced a similar scheme for up to 5,500 workers in the poultry processing industry.
She also fights against bottlenecks with special visas for truck drivers. Because the country is missing around 100,000 truck drivers, according to the Road Haulage Association, supermarket shelves and petrol pumps have recently remained empty. The ports are also complaining about a container backlog due to the lack of drivers. Container ships have already been turned away at the most important port. At the beginning of the Christmas business, retail experts warn of supply problems, for example with toys and electrical appliances.