Government urged to shift focus to permanent EU labour supply to avoid 'looming crisis'

The National Pig Association said there is a "looming crisis" for the pig sector due to shortage of EU labour
The National Pig Association said there is a "looming crisis" for the pig sector due to shortage of EU labour

A major farming organisation has urged the government to ensure a future supply of migrant labour in agriculture, and that any new scheme must encourage full time workers.

The National Pig Association (NPA) told MPs in its submission to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee inquiry into agricultural labour shortages.

The organisation insists future policies must not be restricted to short-term seasonal work, as previous schemes have been.

It outlined the findings of its EU labour survey, which, carried out in the autumn, found that over half (55%) of the pig businesses surveyed employed non-UK workers, with European nationals accounting for 94% of all migrant labour.

The survey also found that 64% of those employing EU labour were finding it harder to find EU labour since the vote, with nearly half revealing that EU workers they employed were considering leaving the UK due to uncertainty over Brexit.

Nearly one in three said at least one worker had already left since the Brexit vote due to changing circumstances.

Permanent labour

The NPA said that the Government must look beyond seasonal agriculture workers schemes as the solution to any shortfall in EU workers.

"Whilst many businesses in the pig supply chain such as abattoirs, hauliers and processors do require seasonal labour, the vast majority of NPA members require permanent labour," the document states.

"Pig production is continuous, not seasonal, and good stockmanship requires an individual’s ongoing interaction with a pig herd and their intuition over the animals they are caring for.

"Because the majority of roles tend to be permanent, it means that individuals working on pig farms have to think seriously about their employment future, and opportunities for their family, as opposed to seasonal labour which provides greater flexibility.

"In the NPA’s survey, 90% of businesses who had migrant workers reported that they were employed on a permanent basis."

'Looming crisis'

The submission outlined a raft of possible solutions to what it calls a "looming crisis" for the pig sector.

This includes giving priority in future immigration policy to so-called ‘unskilled workers’ i.e. those not educated to degree level, on which the pig industry relies.

It also highlights those Europeans wanting to work in the UK are not prevented from doing so by Visa delays or complicated processes.

The submission urges the reinstatement of tier 3 of the immigration points based system to allow ‘low-skilled’ workers to come in as a short term solution to specific temporary labour shortages.

The industry will also commit to working with government to source more domestic labour as a potential solution if help can be provided to facilitate access to EU labour in the short term, such as encouraging new entrants into agriculture via apprenticeships