Temporary visas for up to 800 pork butchers announced amid shortages
The government has announced visas for up to 800 butchers after healthy animals were slaughtered due to staff shortages.
The transport department said until December 31, butchers from abroad will be eligible to apply to work in the UK for six months.
Overseas butchers were already eligible to come to the country through the Skilled Worker Route through the point-based immigration system. Now, they will be able to apply through the Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme,
Pig farmers have been forced to kill healthy animals because of a lack of butchers in abattoirs.
At least 600 healthy pigs have already been slaughtered and thrown “in the bin” after farmers had to take action to avoid surpassing legal limits for stocking density.
The National Farmers Union also warned up to 150,000 animals may be killed.
Ministers stressed they do not believe temporary visas to be a long term solution and said the pork sector should make itself more enticing to domestic workers.
Environment secretary George Eustice, said: “A unique range of pressures on the pig sector over recent months such as the impacts of the pandemic and its effect on export markets have led to the temporary package of measures we are announcing today.”
Other measures announced on Thursday included introducing animal processing on Saturdays and longer working days where possible.
The government said it would fund a private storage aid scheme in England to enable meat processors to store slaughtered pigs for up to six months.
Meat levy bodies in England and Scotland also declared a pork levy holiday for payments required of levy pig farmers and producers for November. This would save the sector just under £1m.