However hard we and many of the members have tried, staffing remains a challenge.” “The advice we have received from the Home Office is that the UK’s domestic labour force should take priority. “Much of the food industry is facing a recruitment crisis,” said Goodger. It had also been in contact with the Career Transition Partnership, which helps former service personnel into work, and had been able to point some of them to members with job vacancies however, the “numbers are low”, he said. Tony Goodger of the meat suppliers’ association said some of its members already had inmates on the release on temporary licence programme working for them and found them to be an asset. They are also contacting charities for ex-servicemen and women to try to drum up staff. To fill vacancies companies are trying to draft in prisoners via a scheme that allows inmates to undertake paid work on day release. The Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, which represents butchers, abattoirs and processors, said it had a call set up with the Ministry of Justice on Monday that would explore how its members could recruit more current inmates and ex-offenders.
Desperate food manufacturers are pleading with the government to be able to call upon prisoners to solve a labour crisis blamed on the double blow of Brexit and Covid.