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Pigs on a farm in south-east England (archive picture): space is running out
Photo: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP
Numerous adult animals, but too few employees at the slaughterhouses: because there is a lack of skilled workers, the first farmers in Great Britain have now started culling pigs.
Around 600 healthy pigs that could not be brought to the slaughterhouse were killed, said the national Pig Association.
Although there are still no mass culls, the measure shows that the crisis has consequences.
The association had warned that up to 120,000 pigs would have to be culled if more staff were not hired soon.
For many farmers it is extremely stressful to kill the pigs for no reason, the spokesman said.
Many got help from outside.
In Great Britain there is a shortage of skilled workers in many industries, including meat processing.
This is also due to the consequences of Brexit, as many workers, especially from Eastern Europe, left the country during the corona pandemic, but new, strict immigration rules are now making entry more difficult for job seekers.
Due to the lack of specialists, slaughterhouses can no longer take enough animals from pig farmers - this is why space is becoming scarce on the farms.
The government now wants, among other things, to bring 5,000 truck drivers and 5,500 specialists in poultry processing from abroad into the country with special visas.
However, according to economic estimates, this is by far not enough.
mic / dpa