The government has unveiled a series of new measures in an attempt to bolster the UK’s food supply chain and tackle its labour shortages.
Among other actions, the government is to extend the seasonal worker visa route for five years until 2029, with 43,000 visas available to the horticulture industry in 2025, and another 2,000 visas for poultry.
Other new measures include the investment of up to £50m to fund the improvement of new technology such as robotic crop pickers, and the creation of a new strategy to attract domestic workers.
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Environment secretary Steve Barclay said: “We have a world-class food and drink sector, and the measures announced today will strengthen this by boosting funding for the cutting-edge technology that will reduce reliance on migrant labour in the long term.
“Businesses do best when they can plan effectively for the future, which is why we’ve extended the seasonal worker visa route until 2029 to give farmers and growers the certainty they need to thrive.”
The new measures come ahead of the second annual Farm to Fork Summit, which will be hosted by the Prime Minister in Downing Street on 14 May.
Last year, critics labelled the government’s food summit as a “PR stunt” after attendees claimed the PM failed to address solutions to inflation, soaring costs and food insecurity.
