NFU calls for immigration review to bring in 10,000 more seasonal workers as war in Ukraine threatens food shortages
Farmers are calling for urgent government action to prevent soaring food prices and potential shortages in the UK as the war in Ukraine threatens grain and oilseed harvests, energy costs and the production of fertiliser.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has written to the government warning of “multiple compounding factors that have profound implications and risks for our food security” including further pressure on labour costs as Ukrainian workers have made up about 60% of workers taking up seasonal worker visas to pick and pack produce since the UK left the European Union.