UK’s turkey sector warns of Christmas shortages amid Brexit-related labor issues

27 Sep 2021 --- Britain’s turkey producers are the latest victim of Brexit fallout amid supply chain and availability issues that have been impacting the UK for weeks. 

Poultry associations are warning that stocks of Britain’s favorite Christmas centerpiece might be running low this year, echoing previous warnings that critical staff shortages would lead to this shortcoming. 

“It is the supermarket shelves that will be emptier on turkeys this year than they have been before,” remarks Kate Martin, chair of the Traditional Farm Fresh Turkey Association (TFTA), representing high-end free range turkey producers in the UK. 

“There have been less turkeys placed on the ground only because the big processors know that they will not get them processed.” 

She also flags an “absolutely unprecedented number of orders” rolling in. “Come Christmas, if you order your turkey from your local farm supplier, you are going to be out of luck.”

“We’re small producers and use local labor, but for the big processors it is 100% caused by a labor shortage,” she continues. “This situation with turkeys is caused by the fact that European labor is no longer available to us, and they are skilled workers who have been coming to us for years.”

“People are now missing a whole host of their workforce that they have been training and investing in over the last however many years. Those workers are no longer available for us to use on a seasonal basis – they will go find work on mainland Europe instead.”

Widening labor gaps
The UK’s widening labor gaps has led to endemic food waste, as crops have been left to rot in the fields.

Turkey producers have flagged an “absolutely unprecedented number of orders” rolling in.The British Poultry Council (BPC) stressed last month that its members had reported one in six jobs were unfilled due to the outflow of EU workers leaving the UK because of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The foodservice sector has been collaterally been impacted. Nando’s ran short of its classic menu staple peri-peri chicken wings, which prompted the restaurant chain to shutter 45 of its 450 UK locations in the UK.

KFC also announced significant supply cuts without specifically naming any of the affected foods or packaging. “You might find some items aren’t available or our packaging might look a little different to normal,” the fast food giant previously said in a statement.

“Things may be a little different when you next visit us,” it added.

British meat suppliers have since looked to hire prisoners as an approach to bolster industry’s dwindling workforce. But processors are still presented with the challenge that different cuts require specific skill sets from different types of butchers. 

“It is a top priority to ensure that there are enough workers across the country’s supply chains to make sure they remain strong and resilient,” George Eustice, the nation’s environment secretary, remarks.

“We have listened to concerns from the sector and we are acting to alleviate a very tight labor market.”

By Benjamin Ferrer