Labour shortages – little movement from UK Government
Despite the relentless and near universal pressure from the entire food and drink industry across the UK seeking Government help to resolve the chronic shortage of labour, the UK Government continues to refuse to make any meaningful change to their immigration policy. So far, in response to the mounting pressure, the UK Government announced on 25 September that they would grant up to 10,500 temporary visas to ease supply chain pressures, with 5,000 allocated for HGV drivers and 5,500 allocated for the poultry sector. They have subsequently granted an extra 800 temporary visas for butchers, with guidance on the scheme rules, eligibility and operation. We have said publicly that, whilst these developments are welcome, they do not go nearly far enough in addressing the scale of the challenge across the industry beyond the poultry sector. We have continued to put pressure on UK ministers to go further through a series of meetings and letters but so far our pleas continue to be dismissed. Whilst any further measures are likely to be too late to help trading for this year, we will continue to seek solutions for subsequent years.
New match-making service
We have been working with Skills Development Scotland to consider any interventions that could help businesses find staff in the short term. The JETS programme, which is being delivered in partnership with the Department of Work and Pensions, is a new job entry targeted support scheme that aims to provide a co-ordinated match-making service between employer and individuals actively looking for work. We have agreed with the scheme operator, Capita, a bespoke food and drink industry initiative which will see a dedicated programme manager, Alison Nimmo, provide a co-ordination and triage service. Employers simply need to send their job advert to Alison who will then match the requirements against their employee database using their regional and sectoral intelligence and networks. As part of this, the programme will include specific support for the individual such as food hygiene training and certification. The programme has been operating successfully across other sectors and this provides an alternative recruitment channel for businesses to try, building on their good efforts. This initiative will begin from Monday 1 November and businesses should contact Alison Nimmo directly if they are interested in using the service.
UK/French fishing dispute – potential risk of disruption
A dispute has broken out between the UK and French Governments in relation to disagreements around access to waters for fishing vessels. Under the terms of the new Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and EU, access to UK and EU waters is managed through a licensing system for fishing vessels. The French Government has claimed that the UK has only issued half of the number of licenses it believes it is entitled – a claim the UK disputes - and therefore in response the French authorities has taken enforcement action against two UK fishing vessels operating in French waters. The French fisheries minister has said publicly that unless a resolution can be found quickly then they will consider introducing further retaliatory measures from next week, including increased checks on imports which would have the potential to create further supply chain disruption. Discussions are ongoing today between the respective Governments and we hope a diplomatic solution is found.
Natasha’s Law – new labelling rules
The UK Food Information Amendment, also known as Natasha’s Law, came into effect on 1 October and requires food businesses to provide full ingredient lists and allergen labelling on foods pre-packaged for direct sale on the premises. The legislation was introduced to protect allergy sufferers and give them confidence in the food they buy. It was introduced following the tragic case of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, the teenager who died after suffering an allergic reaction to an undeclared ingredient in a prepacked meal.
The new rules mean that PPDS (Prepacked for Direct Sale) food and drink must clearly display specific information on the packaging including the name of the food or drink and the full ingredients list with allergenic ingredients emphasised (for example in bold, italics or a different colour). Examples of pre-packed foods would be sandwiches placed into packaging by the food business and sold on the same premises, wrapped deli counter goods such as cheese and meats, and boxed salads placed on a refrigerated shelf prior to sale. These changes apply to businesses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is some helpful information contained on the Food Standards Scotland website and the Food and Drink Federation is hosting a webinar on 3 November to explain the changes in further detail – businesses can sign up here.
COP26 – new industry commitment
Glasgow is ready to host COP26 which begins on Sunday. More than 100 world leaders and thousands of delegates are expected to attend and participate in a diverse programme of events taking place over the next two weeks. The key aim is to secure global net zero by mid-century and keep in reach the limiting of the global temperature to 1.5 degrees – the agreement reached at the Paris conference in 2015.
We are seeing net zero and the wider environment become increasingly critical factors in the market place both domestic and internationally. There is already great work being done by some sector bodies and food and drink businesses to reduce their emissions and environmental footprint and the industry is committed to building on this. Over the past few months the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership has been working to develop an industry-wide net zero approach – a commitment that will guide and drive our collective response to the challenge and opportunities in the market. We intend to publish more information during COP and we will provide more details in due course.
