AQW 23038/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 23/09/2021
Answered On Date: 05/10/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (i) for his assessment of the current impact of labour shortages on agriculture and food processing; and (ii) to detail any steps he is taking, including conversations he has had with Executive colleagues, to resolve this issue.

Answer:

Currently the labour shortages are being felt most acutely by the pigmeat industry. Information reported to me by the industry suggests that there are staffing shortages of up to 35% for certain processing-critical occupations. The pig sector is reporting serious difficulties with processing capacity, resulting in a rollover of pigs on farms each week in sub-optimal conditions. My officials are in contact with producers on a regular basis and the number of pigs that are back logged varies by farm and outlet. Officials are assessing the impact of this on the animals and the producers.

Over the past few months, I have been engaging extensively with agri-food stakeholders about concerns regarding labour shortages. Despite employers offering competitive wages and other incentives, they have struggled to recruit all the workers they need, because insufficient appeptite exists among our domestic workforce for these types of jobs.

For a significant period of time we have relied on migrant workers to fill the labour gap in the agri-food sector. Stakeholders however, have indicated that the new UK Immigration System has removed a previously existing route to fill vacancies.

As immigration policy is a reserved matter, my primary focus has been ongoing communication with top levels of Government in Whitehall to highlight the severity of the problems. I have ensured that my Executive colleagues have had sight of this correspondence given the potential repercussions for the NI Economy if a solution cannot be found as a matter of urgency. We have seen some movement in the recent announcement on additional temporary visas for HGV drivers and poultry workers but it not enough and I will keep pressing for more.