May 29th, 2024
2 mins
Government have recently issued a response to John Shropshire’s independent review into labour shortages in the food supply chain.
In response to the recommendations in the review, Defra have now confirmed that new measures will be implemented to support the industry, including:
- An extension to the seasonal worker visa route until 2029. 43,000 visas will be available to the horticulture sector in 2025, plus 2,000 visas for poultry. Further information on the number of visas available for 2026 to 2029 will be released later this year.
- Up to £50 million of further funding for new technology to support fully automated packhouses.
- More support to bring robotic crop pickers on a par with human pickers in 3-5 years.
- The creation of a strategy to enhance skills provision and attract domestic workers.
The independent review can be accessed here and the Government response here
