Producers warn of shortage of UK turkeys at Christmas

Some consumers will have no option other than to buy a French turkey for Christmas if UK producers are unable to employ enough labour for processing, a major supplier has warned.

Paul Kelly, the managing director of KellyBronze, which produces handplucked, free range turkeys, said the sector will be “hit massively” this Christmas because it relies on agencies who bring in labour from the EU that are no longer accessible.

Mr Kelly said: “30 years ago about 30% of the UK turkey market was supplied by France.

“Since having access to EU workers the UK turkey industry has built up the farms and infrastructure needed to supply just about 100% of the turkey the supermarkets need – and the supermarkets have been very supportive of quality British turkey production.

“French factories are rubbing their hands with glee as they can see all that business they used to have returning to them.”

He added: “The larger companies have made the prudent decision to reduce Christmas turkey numbers by at least 20%, as they simply cannot process the turkeys without the seasonal labour to do it.

“Covid has not helped... but it is not the primary reason EU workers have left .

“They do not feel welcome any more and unless they have settled status, which only lasts for five years, the paperwork they need to go through to get here is bureaucratic and the expense is costly.

“The fact is they do not see a future in the UK.”

Mr Kelly, whose FarmGate hatchery business supplies many of the 1,000 small seasonal turkey growers throughout the country, said: “These are the farmers who traditionally supply local butchers and markets.

“They have a potential nightmare on their hands if the people who help them every year with plucking and processing turkeys have not got settled status.”

The warning follows last month’s closure of dozens of Nando’s restaurants as well as cuts to KFC’s menus, as lorry driver and factory staff shortages attributed to Brexit employment rules and the pandemic affected several retailers.

Early last month, the British Poultry Council (BPC) warned the industry was facing a shortage of workers across farming and processing, with businesses reporting an average vacancy rate of more than 16% of their workforce.

It said the “alarming number of gaps” was continuing to grow due to the effects of Brexit and was “compounded by a government that continually acts against the best interests of British food producers”.

BPC chief executive Richard Griffiths said: “Members... have been forced to cut back weekly chicken production by 5-10%, all year-round turkey production by 10% and estimate Christmas turkey production to be cut down by 20%.

“This is all down to labour shortages... It is beholden on our government to fix this catastrophic debacle of their making.”

Supermarkets have been very supportive of quality British turkey production.