By Kate Holton

DRIFFIELD in England (Reuters). Two sisters who run a pig farm near Newcastle have a message from Boris Johnson to Prime Minister: Ease immigration restrictions for butchers, or you risk the collapse of the pork industry due to excessively obese animals.

British farmers claim that Brexit and COVID-19 are responsible for the exodus east European workers out of abattoirs. This has left pigs in barns across Britain.

The pigs will gain weight as a result of the increased time they spend on the farms, and they may be unable to eat the food they are eating. Abattoirs could impose financial penalties if they find it difficult to manage the animals.

Some farmers have begun culling the pigs. Vicky Scott, Kate Morgan, and others are desperate to save their animals until slaughter.

Scott said that the pressure was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He spoke to Reuters while observing the squeals of a few hundred pigs. “We are in an extremely bad spot right now.”

British industries warned that it is difficult to continue operations since European workers have returned in summer.

This has had a devastating impact on pig farming. Although it makes little money, the National Farmers Union has warned that the National Farmers Union could soon warn of 150,000 potential pig deaths.

TECHNOLOGY & WAGE HIKES

Scott and Morgan say that their abattoir reduced their capacity by 25%, which has resulted in some 5,000 animals living in tall barns. These towering structures stand out against the flat east Yorkshire fields. Reuters informed them of another cancellation at an abattoir.

Morgan stated that they had done everything possible to prevent a cull, but the pressure was mounting. She said, “We’re trying to juggle everything and try to get pigs to be somewhere they don’t want to be so we don’t end up in that situation.”

Johnson should relax post-Brexit immigration regulations and let European butchers enter Britain without having to pass an extensive English language test. This is a requirement the industry claims has been putting off workers.

So far, the pleas for help have not been heard. Johnson stated that businesses should stop relying on cheap labour from migrants and instead invest in technology and better salaries for British workers.

In recent weeks, he has provoked farmers’ fury by claiming that bacon sandwiches are made from dead pigs, and that the animals were bred in farms for slaughter.

“Have any of you ever eaten a bacon sandwich?” Johnson asked Times Radio’s journalist about the possibility of pig cull. Johnson said, “Those pigs were dead when they were eaten.”

Scott claims that their farm invested in technology, and has retained employees by increasing wages. Problems lie in meat processing plants and abattoirs, where machines are more efficient than butchers. Higher wages would lead to higher food costs, the sisters point out.

Scott believes that a relaxed visa policy is necessary to fix the situation. She stated, “Hopefully the government is listening now.” It’s crucial, urgent, and very important that they do something now.