Enlarge image
Pigs in Staffordshire, UK
Photo: Joe Giddens / dpa
In order to solve the so-called pig jam on British farms, the government in London apparently wants to issue up to 1,000 visas for foreign butcher masters.
As the broadcaster Sky News and the newspaper "Daily Mail" reported, the corresponding requirements are to be made significantly easier.
For example, the government could waive the requirement to have advanced knowledge of English.
According to estimates by the National Pig Association, a good 120,000 animals are currently at risk of culling.
Slaughterhouses cannot process the pigs due to a lack of butchers, and the farms do not have enough space to continue to house the animals.
So far, 6,000 healthy pigs have been culled on farms, according to the association.
If there is no solution, 10,000 animals per week would soon have to be killed on the farm.
The British government is already fighting shortages with special visas for truck drivers and for the poultry industry.
Because the country lacks around 100,000 truck drivers, according to the Road Haulage Association, supermarket shelves and petrol pumps have recently remained empty.
The ports are also complaining about a container backlog due to the lack of drivers.
Container ships have already been turned away at some ports.
At the beginning of the Christmas business, retail experts warn of supply problems, for example with toys and electrical appliances.
Truck drivers are rare in Europe.
In Great Britain, however, new, strict Brexit immigration rules are making it more difficult for new skilled workers to move in.
ssu / dpa
