• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Brexit labour crisis forces UK farmer to kill hundreds of piglets

One Yorkshire farmer culled hundreds of piglets because of a processing backlog at local slaughterhouses.

Andra Maciuca by Andra Maciuca
2021-10-01 15:30
in Politics
piglet pig

Photo: PA

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

A Yorkshire farmer has been forced to cull hundreds of piglets because post-Brexit labour shortages in local abattoirs mean adult pigs aren’t being slaughtered fast enough.

The backlog is leaving less space on farms for younger pigs, which are cheaper and easier to kill.

The farmer has been “destroyed by it”, a friend told BBC News. “He had to kill perfectly healthy, viable piglets. It’s desperate. I’ve been producing for 26 years, and never faced the prospect of having to butcher pigs on my own farm before.”

According to the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), around 80 per cent of staff in two big processing centres in Hull came from Eastern Europe before Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.

But Nick Allen of the BMPA said the workforce is 15 per cent down on its usual size – and animals are mounting up on farms as a result, meaning farmers are “quietly starting to cull”.

“The main barrier is labour, with the change in the immigration policy. We are struggling to get butchers in particular, and it limits how fast you can run the plant,” he said.

“We were offering higher wages, but with the job market at the moment, it’s not worked. We do need access to some non-UK labour.”

RelatedPosts

Cost of living: Eye-watering figure MPs pocket in ‘second jobs’ revealed

Internet poet gives ‘If’ a Downing Street party remix

Progressive alliance would hand Labour a MASSIVE majority in parliament

Good Law Project to pursue legal action against Met Police following Partygate picture leak

Meryl Ward, who runs a family farm in Lincolnshire with 1,600 pigs which should have been slaughtered, said producers are “in despair”, calling the situation “criminal”.

She said the current crisis is the worst in 35 years of farming – with parallels being drawn with the 2001 foot-and-mouth crisis, and called for temporary work visas to be introduced to help pig producers.

“It’s such a massive national problem, it needs action and leadership from government.

“If they really care about farm animal welfare, if they really believe in UK animal production and the standards that we have are worth saving, we need some action,” she said.

A Defra spokesperson told the BBC that the government is closely liaising with the industry to help ease existing “pressures”.

Ministers are discussing plans to ease visa restrictions to let up to 1,000 foreign butchers into the country – but Priti Patel is reportedly resisting the move, citing concerns it is part of a wider push to return to free movement.

Butchers are considered skilled workers under the UK’s points-based migration system – and ministers are considering relaxing a requirement that they should speak a good level of English so more can come to the UK.

Related: Government asks winery manager with a motorhome to become HGV driver

Tags: Brexit

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Boris Johnson depicted as criminal in giant Parliament projection

Sinister 2001: A Space Odyssey computer ‘becomes reality’

Pay in real terms won’t be back to 2007 level until 2025

Arsenal agree club record fee for Aubemayang but could be forced to sell Giroud to Chelsea

‘A lie:’ Thunberg rubbishes claims that UK is a climate leader as she shares sobering Tweet from 3 years ago

Acid attacks down more than 40 per cent in London – but stabbings continue to rise

Brits reveal their top 30 beef dishes

Beer of the Week: The Wild Beer Co. Wineybeest 2021

Queen’s Duchy of Lancaster income increases by more than £1m

Johnson warned he’s ‘on last orders’ after North Shropshire thumping

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.