Almost HALF of Britons expect shortages this Christmas, a survey suggests
Almost HALF of the people in Britain expect there to be a shortage of turkeys over Christmas, a recent survey suggests.
The YouGov survey reported that 49% of British people fear there will be a shortage of their favourite festive meat.
The research comes after the Government announced in September that 5,500 poultry workers from abroad would legally be allowed to work in the UK ahead of Christmas. It is thought that around 3,000 applications have been made.
The temporary visa scheme was implemented after concerns that post-Brexit immigration rules, in conjunction with the impact of the pandemic, had led to a large number of food manufacturing workers from the EU returning to their home countries — leaving poultry processing plants with a huge labour shortage.
UK poultry producer Ranjit Singh Boparan, whose companies produce around a third of all poultry products in the UK, is employing over 900 poultry workers to ensure Christmas demands are met.
But despite the Government’s verbal reassurances, the survey suggests that British people are still worried.
Asda shopper, Becky Clifton, from Portsmouth, said: “With the Government announcing the presence of the Omicron variant in the UK, of course, people are scared of another lockdown, I just hope It doesn’t lead to panic buying.”
Around four in 10 people (40%) think there will be shortages of pigs in blankets, with 19% saying they’d be upset if they couldn’t have the meaty treats.
