Food waste piles up as Britain faces farming labor shortages, planting scaled down for 2022

Unprecedented labor shortages in the UK over recent months have led to endemic food waste, as crops have been left to rot in the fields. As a result, British fruit and vegetable suppliers are planning to cut down their planting for next year.

A post-Brexit pilot visa scheme rolled out to admit seasonal workers has been insufficient, while nationwide labor shortages have lured away fruit and vegetable pickers to other sectors.

Just last month, UK meat producers looked into hiring prisoners to plug labor gaps that have deepened in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fresh produce growers are forecasting smaller harvests for the coming year, in anticipation that gaps will be filled by imports.

FIF