NEWS
PM urged to act on ‘crippling’ staffing crisis in post-Brexit food & drink industry By Greg PItcher
Key bodies from across the food supply chain have written to Boris Johnson warning that labour shortages are “crippling” vital areas of the sector. A letter signed by 40 trade associations urged the prime minister to act on the staffing crisis by relaxing tough post-Brexit immigration rules for workers looking to return to the UK as COVID-19 restrictions are finally eased this summer. A detailed study by the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence earlier this year estimated that 1.3 million people left the country between summer 2019 and summer 2020 – a period that included the start of coronavirus restrictions and the UK’s exit from the EU. The letter, signed by the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), the Craft Bakers Association and the Association of Independent
Star ‘sorry’ over farm shop furore Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has issued an apology after hundreds of fans of his new Amazon Prime show Clarkson’s Farm flocked to his Diddly Squat Farm Shop last month, forcing the police to intervene. The crowds – which grew after news spread that the star was visiting – led to major traffic jams in the area surrounding the farm shop, in the village of Chadlington, near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. In a tweet the following day, the 61-year-old said: “People of Chadlington. “I’m truly sorry about the traffic around our farm shop last weekend. “We are doing everything we can to improve the situation.”
Food & drink businesses are struggling to recruit staff
Meat Suppliers among others, said those who remained “seem unwilling” to fill vacancies in the sector. “We ask that all those who have worked in the UK over the last three years are given the freedom to return to work here with less restrictive immigration regulations on a short-term basis,” it added. British Sandwich and Food to Go Association director Jim Winship,
who organised the letter, told FFD: “It’s a huge issue across the industry. Many of our members can’t get staff; restaurants with full order books have had to close. “If this isn’t resolved, we will see businesses fail. If you can’t get staff, you can’t produce food and you get inflation and other issues.” BIRA chief executive Andrew Goodacre said the government “needs to recognise the problem
and put in place some temporary measures”. He added that as well as relaxing immigration rules for returning workers who left due to the pandemic, ministers should change the apprenticeship programme “so more people can be employed in the food retail and hospitality sectors”. Kirsty Barden, business development manager at food sector trainee scheme Management Development Services, said companies throughout the food supply chain were struggling to fill both temporary and permanent roles. Many EU-born workers had returned home during the lockdowns and realised they could have a better standard of life outside the UK, she added. “Some have found similar work back home on the same pay as they had here. Factories and food processing plants in Eastern Europe are often now the same standard, with similar working conditions and similar pay.”
First Taste of the West 2021 results announced The first phase of Gold, Silver and Commended prizes has been announced in the Taste of the West 2021 product awards. The judges for the regional food & drink awards scheme – working independently due to COVID restrictions – have awarded 351 Gold, 138 Silver and 59 Commended awards so far in this year’s programme, with around 400 products yet to be judged. Among the many standout producers with multiple awards already under their belts is Old School House Chutneys & Preserves from Yeovil in Somerset. It won five Golds awards, including two for its marmalade.
The vegan class – now in its second year – has seen several Gold winners, including Tempeh Meades from Bristol, which won Gold with its Tempeh and The Organic Plantmilk Company T/A ReRooted with its range of plant-based milks made in Totnes, Devon. Products entered in the second phase of judging were sampled and tasted in June, and a further list of results is due to be announced later this month. Following publication, the highest-scoring Gold award-winning products will be judged again to
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT... SUMMER LABOUR SHORTAGES EMMA MACDONALD DIRECTOR, THE BAY TREE, DEVON
“We have a problem with our hauliers who cannot find the drivers to deliver stock, so we are not getting the service we should be, and some deliveries are taking twice as long to get to customers and us. This is due to drivers being laid off last year, I assume, and now they have either got another job or gone back to Europe.” DAVID RIPPINGTON MANAGER, THYME & TIDES, HAMPSHIRE
“We have struggled to get staff for our kitchen and the front and back of house. The students have not come and a lot of people have returned to the EU because of the pandemic and Brexit. People are uneasy about starting a new job. They don’t know if they would get furlough rights or sick pay.” KIRSTY BARDEN MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
determine the top three products in each class. These top three products are then judged a third time to establish the overall champion product in every category, and the 27 champion products then go on to battle it out for the coveted Supreme Champion Product of 2021. tasteofthewest.co.uk
“We’ve had a massive increase in numbers applying to do graduate traineeships, and in the volume of employers requesting them. Businesses that used to take on one person over a summer are now taking on two or three. We would normally have an intake of 15 trainees every six months, and that will be increased to 26 this October.” Vol.22 Issue 6 | July 2021
5
