Staff shortages hitting Welsh supermarket shelves

A shortage of UK workers is hitting supermarket shelves in Wales.

Avara Foods, which employs 350 at its turkey processing plant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, said a combination of Covid and Brexit meant many of its EU national workers had returned home.

Logistics UK has said there are 90,000 HGV driver vacancies in the UK and a family butcher has warned there are no young people to replace those retiring.

The UK government said it was working to attract UK domestic workers.

Earlier this week, the IHS Markit/CIPS Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for August hit a six-month low, prompting a warning staff and supply shortages have taken their toll on the UK's economic recovery.

Avara Foods, which supply major retailers across the UK and restaurants, said EU nationals once made up half of its workforce because of a shortage of UK workers.

Jim Roberts from the company said: "The UK labour simply wasn't there, so we would supplement it with non-UK workers that were either already in the country or traveling from overseas."

He said the company was now looking for workers but not finding them.

Usually, the company would be getting about 80 job applications a month, but now they are getting between 20 and 30, he said.

"It looks to us like it's primarily Brexit-related although probably not in isolation - Covid undoubtedly has played a part, but it's certainly not Covid on its own.

"We track who is absent because of Covid on a daily basis and the numbers are very, very low. It looks much more like it's a reduced labour pool and that's primarily caused by non-UK workers returning back home."

Avara wants the seasonal workers scheme to be extended to help with the Christmas rush.

Mr Roberts said they needed staff for "a number of skilled roles, particularly butchery".

A third-generation family butchers may seem a world away from a processing plant with hundreds of staff but the pressures are the same.

Chris George's grandfather took over WJ George butchers in Talgarth in Powys from his uncle.

In recent years they have had up to six skilled butchers working there but now there are just two.

"As people have retired there's been nobody coming behind to replace them, so as they reach retirement age there's just no youngsters coming forward to take over the sort of skills you need for butchery," he said.

"And how serious is that shortage of skills? Quite serious really.

"You can't just put anybody in to do it, it takes years of practice to get it right."

He said young people were not interested in butchery: "They just don't want to do it," he said.

"It's not a hospitable place to work, it's not glamorous, it just doesn't appeal to a lot of young - I think a lot actually just like to be in front of a keyboard and just push buttons and it's more appealing."

CK Stores has 31 stores across Wales.

Speaking from its distribution centre in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, company owner Chris Chris Kiley said: "We have got a lot of shortages going on.

"There is no one product, there is no range of products, its just across the board

"I think its the driver shortage that's the biggest problem."

Andy Richardson who chairs the Welsh Government Food and Drink Board, agreed: "We can't deny that there may be some manufacturers issues but the biggest issue is haulage.

"The lack of drivers because EU citizens went back home and because of problems at HGV testing centres during Covid lockdowns.

"We call upon government to look at all the possible short-term solutions as well as long-term strategic issues of driver shortages which have been highlighted by industry to government for months."

At Avara, Mr Roberts said there were "oversights" that can be easily corrected to ease the situation.

"The shortage occupation list doesn't currently include skilled roles that are necessary in food production, so butchers and HGV drivers could easily join an archaeologist, web designers and nurses [who are] on that list."

He also called for the seasonal workers scheme to include the Christmas season, saying: "Again that's an oversight that could be quickly corrected."

The UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "In 2021 and beyond, food and farming businesses will continue to be able to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status.

"We are working with other departments to encourage and support the sector to attract UK domestic workers though offering training, careers options, wage increases and to invest in increased automation technology."