Turkeys: Imports

(asked on 27th October 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of barriers to the supply of turkeys for Christmas 2021.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 4th November 2021

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges. Defra works closely with businesses and other stakeholders to monitor and assess food supply.

We have listened to concerns from the sector and we know that the run-up to Christmas is a particularly important time for farmers and food producers, who need more workers on their farms to meet seasonal demand and more HGV drivers on the roads to deliver food across the country in this period.

In response to these exceptional circumstances, Defra has announced that up to 5,500 poultry workers and 5,000 HGV drivers transporting food and fuel will be able to enter the UK on temporary visas for work in the lead up to Christmas 2021. These are temporary, emergency measures.

The Government also took decisive action to support the CO2 industry to reach a deal which will continue the supply of CO2 to UK businesses, including those in the poultry processing sector. The deal will run until January 2022 ensuring the CO2 supply over Christmas.

The actions we have taken will ensure that poultry businesses have access to the necessary workforce and materials to mitigate any potential risks to food supply in the run up to Christmas.

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