CHRONIC labour shortages in the food and farming sector could see food prices continue to rise, according to MPs.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee report – devised by six Tory and four Labour MPs along with one SNP colleague – said that as of August last year the sector had “potentially in excess of 500,000 job vacancies”.

It found evidence of pressure and shortages before the outbreak of war in Ukraine had caused the sector to experience “even greater pressure”.

The pig sector was particularly badly affected, with 35,000 pigs being culled due to a lack of butchers to process them. The report calls on the secretary of state to use the department’s power to provide direct support to pig farmers, with the authors stating revised immigration measures could address the current crisis. For example, the report calls for a review of the Skilled Workers Visa scheme including the complexity and costs faced by employers and tailoring the English language requirement to meet the needs of the sector.

While there have been welcome changes to the Seasonal Worker Pilot, the report said a reliance on overseas labour must be reduced in preference for a long-term labour strategy that grows and develops home-grown talent, combining attractive education and vocational training packages with the deployment of new technology.

“The evidence we have taken leaves us in no doubt about the seriousness of the issues facing the food and farming sector caused by labour shortages,” wrote the study’s authors.

“These include food security, animal welfare and the mental health of those working in the sector.

“In contrast, the Government has not demonstrated a strong understanding of these issues, and even on occasion sought to pass the blame onto the sector on the basis of incorrect information about its own immigration system.

“The Government must radically shift its attitude and work together with the sector to devise solutions that speedily help address the problems it faces, in the short, medium and long-term to help the UK’s food industry and enable it to thrive.

“Failure to do so risks shrinking the sector and leading to higher food inflation at the price of the UK’s competitiveness, thereby making the country more reliant on food imports as we export our food production capacity — as well as the jobs it supports — abroad.”

Committee chairman, Neil Parish MP, said: “In 2021 farmers faced an extraordinary situation – crops were left to rot in the fields and healthy pigs were culled due to a lack of workers. This has serious implications for the well-being of the people who put food on our tables today and in the future. The Government’s attitude to the plight of food and farming workers was particularly disappointing.

“While some of the reforms put forward by Government have helped in the short term, and we agreed that we must look to expand the domestic workforce – this won’t happen overnight. In the meantime, it must use the powers available – including over immigration policy – to support the sector. Otherwise we will export our food production and import more of our food.

“Even more importantly, Government must change its attitude to the food and farming sector – trusting them and acting promptly when they raise concerns. Our food and farmers depend on it.”