Labour shortages threaten farming

Labour shortages in Lincolnshire will threaten the agriculture sector if they are not solved soon, a report has warned.

Farms are struggling to recruit European workers who they traditionally relied on due to the impact of both Brexit and the pandemic.
The county council’s scrutiny panel report on Agriculture Sector Supports in Lincolnshire, said farms, businesses and communities across Lincolnshire are all grappling with the impact of labour shortages, posing significant challenges to the local economy and the agricultural sector.
The scarcity of workers in the county has also raised concerns about the future of farming and industries heavily reliant on a robust workforce.
The report, due before Lincolnshire County Council’s Environment and Economy Committee on Tuesday, said the county’s agriculture sector faces significant labour shortages, leading to disruptions in the supply chain and potential financial losses for farmers.
The report warns: “If the labour shortage is not resolved swiftly, shortages threaten to shrink the sector permanently with a chain reaction of wage rises and price increases reducing competitiveness, leading to food production being exported abroad and increased imports.”
The report highlights that the shortage of skilled workers in the agricultural industry has become a pressing issue.
One of the key reasons behind the problem is the decline in migrant workers coming to Lincolnshire.
“For the past two decades, the main source of labour came from foreign countries,” said the report.
Recent changes in migration patterns and policies, and the impact of Brexit, have led to a decline in the availability of migrant labour. The report also notes there is an ageing workforce in the county’s agricultural sector, with many long-term workers nearing retirement age, and  a shortage of younger individuals interested in pursuing careers in agriculture.
Furthermore, the report said the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the labour shortage with restrictions on international travel making it difficult to recruit workers from overseas.
The pandemic has disrupted the flow of seasonal workers, who play a crucial role in the agricultural sector, particularly during peak harvest.
The report notes that some of the unmet demand has been met by a rise in robotics, but substantial investment will be needed for automation to be a major part of the industry.
“With an estimated 500,000 worker shortfall in the UK agri-food sector (more if migration was to cease), the investment needed is tens of billion pounds,” it said.
To address the challenges, the report notes the county council and local stakeholders are exploring initiatives to attract and retain workers.
There are plans to lobby the government, to make it easier for farms to import labour for longer, while promoting new automation technologies.