Staff shortages see UK meat carcasses sent to EU for butchering

UK Meat producers have started sending carcasses to the EU for butchering before re-importing them as they continue to combat a labour shortage.

The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) say producers are sending beef to the Republic of Ireland for amid a local shortages of butchers.

Meanwhile, pork producers are set to begin sending pigs to the Netherlands for butchering and packing.

Meat exported in this way cannot to be labelled as British pork for UK sale.

According to the BMPA, the move will cost an additional £1,500 for each lorry load of carcasses. This includes transport fees and Brexit customs requirements, such as an export health certificate for each consignment.

"It is what needs to be done to counteract the problem," a spokesperson for BMPA told the BBC.

It comes after post-Brexit staff shortages, and a lack of capacity at abattoirs, have led to the culling of more than 10,000 healthy pigs so far.

A shortage of skilled workers, as well as exporting issues, Covid-19, and reduced demand from China, has left the sector with a growing backlog of pork, of which the UK is a significant exporter.

Staffing levels are reported to be at least 15% below the normal level.

The BMPA said: "Immigration rules need to be relaxed so we can get experienced people without having to train them to help solve the immediate short-term problem.

"Then we need to be attracting, recruiting, and training people in the UK. This is not an instant fix, however, as we are looking at 18 months or longer to train these people.

"The government also needs to add key level courses to the support they have already given. As far as we can see there are no food related courses, or they are not the ones we need."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) refused to comment on the number of applications they had received so far.

The government also said that it would fund cold storage for carcasses, while the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has launched a cull and render scheme, dedicating a plant to the disposal of animals.

But farmers have criticised the move as not being enough, or not providing a long-term solution.

Nick Allen, chief executive of the BMPA said: "We have been saying we are between 10,000 and 12,000 short of these types of workers, 800 doesn't go very far, it has been made very clear it is only for six months and they go again."