The Home Secretary likes Turkey

The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has eased immigration restrictions on Turkey and Poultry workers in order to keep the Christmas favourite on the dinner table.

She has subsequently changed immigration rules so that farmers can employ overseas poultry workers in order to fill vacancies in the run up to the festive period. As such those working in the poultry industry are to be added to the existing list of seasonal workers entitled to work in the UK. 

Such individuals are to be paid in excess of £10.10 an hour and work for at least 30 hours per week. Seemingly, thousands of additional workers are required to slaughter and prepare the 10 million turkeys eaten in the UK every Christmas. 

The industry had traditionally relied on EU staff and has been hit by the change in UK specific regulations. In 2021 an estimated 60 per cent of poultry meat workers, 22,860 people, were EU nationals.

Consequently, the lack of overseas staff had seen a 10 per cent decrease in the supply of poultry. Ms Braverman has warned that she wants to bring down overall migration to then "tens of thousands" mark, from the current total of near 240,000. She has urged farmers to recruit and train more domestic workers as well as adopt more automation to reduce the reliance on foreign staff.

In a written statement to Parliament, Tom Pursglove, a Home Office minister, said: "The seasonal worker visa route is being expanded to include roles in the poultry sector, to support a genuine seasonal labour need in the lead up to Christmas, not evident in other sectors. Poultry workers under occupation code 5431 (butcher) or 5433 (for example, processor) must be paid at least £25,600 each year."

He stated, "All other poultry workers must be paid £10.10 for each hour worked and receive at least 30 hours' paid employment each week." Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council (BPC), has previously warned that British workers were reluctant to move from other parts of the country.

Whitestone Solicitors