Up to 120,000 Pigs in UK Could Possibly be Culled Due to Acute Shortage of Butchers

About 120,000 pigs could be culled as a result of limited abattoir workers, farmers have warned. Severe labour shortages across supply chains are ruining the UK economy.

Shortage of Abattoir Workers

The chair of the National Pig Association (NPA), Rob Mutimer, said Britain was dealing with an "acute welfare disaster" within a little period of time and farmers are compelled to kill their livestock due to a severe shortage of slaughterers and butchers.

On Friday, Rob Mutimer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are within a couple of weeks of having to consider a mass cull of animals in this country. We think our backlog is in the region of 100,000 to 120,000 as we stand today. And it is growing by around 12,000 a week. This is happening on pig farms all over the country; they are backed up and running out of space to keep animals."

A farmer said they were informed that there could be further reductions the coming week in the number of animals that can be transported since there were limited workers at meat-processing plants to control the loads.

Animal Culling

Mutimer said over the last three weeks, the problem in the industry has escalated. If the animals will be culled they will either be shot on the farm or taken to an abattoir and disposed of in a skip. They won't go into the food chain, either the animals are rendered or sent for incineration. Mutimer said it is a total travesty.

Both post-Brexit immigration rules and an exodus of foreign workers during the frequent change in pandemic travel restrictions had made the industry stuck at crisis point, he said.

In order to prevent a scarcity on the shelves, the NPA encouraged retailers not to turn to less expensive pork from European Union suppliers.

Mutimer said: "Pens and sheds are not designed for animals of this size. We are heading for an acute welfare disaster quickly."

Effects of Labour Shortage on Meat Industry

At the beginning of this month, representatives of meat industry warned that farmers might start culling pigs due to low carbon dioxide to stun the accumulation of animals that were supposed to be for killing.

Most of the UK's food-grade CO2 is manufactured as a byproduct from fertiliser factories, but a sudden increase in gas wholesale prices had led to the shutting down of two of the biggest plants, until the government provided financial support for production to continue.

The meat industry is among so many sectors of the economy dealing with labour shortages associated with Brexit and the pandemic, as lack of delivery workers hits supply chains.

Following the reports of a shortage of HGV drivers to supply fuel to forecourts, motorists hurriedly fill up their tanks and this led to over one week of fuel shortages across the country.

Related Article: Illegal Culling of Male Chicks In Meat Industry to be Prohibited From 2022 in Germany

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