Norfolk poultry producers warn of turkey shortages this Christmas
Christmas Turkey production has dropped by 20% according to, the British Poultry Council.
Last updated 5th Oct 2021
The labour crisis in Norfolk could mean a shortage of turkey's this Christmas.
That's according to Mark Gorton, the director of Traditional Norfolk Poultry.
Christmas turkey production has dropped by 20%, according to the British Poultry Council.
While Government figures says East Anglia's farms provide just over 20% of the nations poultry.
Mr Gorton wants the Government to help producers gain access to more workers:
"We are producing food and growing livestock. We work 24 hours a day, seven days a week come rain or shine".
"It's not the sort of work that everyone wants to do, but there is a workforce out there that is happy to do it. We've been using them for the last twenty years and we need access to that workforce".
Mr Gorton told us that these problems are long in the making:
"The labour shortage is solely due to the fallout from Brexit.
"Our labour force has been getting smaller and smaller since that vote. It's been compounded by the Covid crisis, but I personally lay the blame truly at the door of Brexit".
"I'm sure the Government knows the problems we have, because we've been telling them for so long. But unfortunately their reactions are coming too little and too late".
He told also us that this current situation means that consumers will inevitably have to pay more:
"Any returning workers will want more money and that will unfortunately lead to a rise in prices".
He concluded by telling us that the ongoing fuel crisis is also exacerbating the existing problems they have:
"It's causing issues for some of our workers to be able to come into work. This universal desire to get fuel is also leading to a slight inflation in prices as well."