Dairy giant Arla Foods urgently seeks government support to tackle the critical shortage of qualified workers in the UK farming sector.
Bas Padberg, the managing director for Arla in the UK, issued a stark warning about potential food shortages and increased prices unless immediate action is taken.
“Farmers are responsible for feeding a nation with over 98% of people having milk in their fridge. What we’re seeing is the real impact of these workforce shortages on our farming industry, whether that’s in higher costs or lower milk production,” Padberg stated today (13 August).
“The effect of this is ultimately going to be seen in the price and availability of products on supermarket shelves, affecting millions who rely on dairy as a key source of nutrition in their daily diet.”
According to the annual Arla on-farm workforce survey, which surveyed 1,900 British farmers, one in six farmers trying to fill vacancies received few or no responses from qualified applicants.
Due to the ongoing labor shortages, 13% of farmers indicated that they would consider leaving farming entirely within the next year if the situation does not improve.
As the UK’s largest dairy company, Arla emphasizes that “much more urgent action is needed to meet the scale of the challenge.”
Now in its fifth year, the Arla on-farm workforce survey revealed that the struggle to recruit and retain skilled staff remains “just as prevalent” as it was five years ago.
More than 47% of farmers are aged 55 and over, while only 3% are first-generation. Moreover, over 66% of farmers have passed down their farms through at least four generations.
Padberg further added: “We know the government has acknowledged the problem and welcomes a focus on talent and development as part of the forthcoming food strategy.”
He stressed the need to “act quickly” and implement “practical steps that the industry, education sector, and government can take together to facilitate opportunities for inclusion and growth.”
Padberg continued: “We really see a bright future for UK food manufacturing, as indicated by the £390m ($529.1m) investment we are making in our sites.”
“However, as with farming, we must examine the factors affecting our ability to recruit skilled workers and devise collaborative strategies with the government to safeguard our food security.”