Staff level warning in red meat sector

Almost half of all staff working in Scottish red meat companies are foreign nationals, according to a new report.

The latest Red Meat Industry Profile from red meat levy body Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) reveals 47% of staff working at Scottish abattoirs and meat processing companies hail from outside the UK.

QMS said this highlighted the sector’s reliance on access to skilled foreign labour – an issue highlighted in recent weeks with meat processors warning of problems supplying pigs in blankets at Christmas due to staffing shortages.

In its report, which covers 2020, QMS said: “Employment in red meat processing has been relatively stable over the year as a whole, leading to higher spending on wages and salaries, but a number of processing businesses faced considerable

recruitment challenges, exacerbated by the exit from the EU.”

It estimated that 3,000 people worked across 21 red meat abattoirs in Scotland during the year, and primary red meat processing generated £815 million of revenue and paid more than £77m in salaries.

Earlier this month the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) warned post-Brexit labour shortages in abattoirs and

meat plants could lead to products being in short supply.

BMPA chief executive Nick Allen blamed the UK Government’s immigration policies for staffing challenges, and said that on average BMPA members are around 12%-13% short on staff.

The Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers also said it had been warning about labour shortages for the past few months.

The association’s executive manager, Martin Morgan, said: “The current truth is that the UK Government’s immigration rules are stifling our industry’s ability to recruit the number of skilled staff we require to meet retail and consumer demand.

“The end result, as we see it today, is that there will be a shortage of product on supermarket shelves over the next few months, especially during the festive period.”

A UK Government spokeswoman said: “We recently announced a package of measures to help tackle the HGV driver shortage, including plans to streamline the process for new drivers to gain their HGV licence and to increase the number of driving tests able to be driven by industry.”

She added: “Employers should invest in the UK domestic workforce instead of relying on labour from abroad.”

CUTTING IT FINE: Labour shortages in abattoirs and meat plants could lead to products being in short supply.

Almost half the staff working for abattoirs and meat processing companies in Scotland are non-UK nationals.