Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 37
We are concerned that, despite existing channels, the Government did not acknowledge the sector’s mounting...
Recommendation
We are concerned that, despite existing channels, the Government did not acknowledge the sector’s mounting concerns about labour shortages earlier in 2021. The Government should not have been “waiting for the data” before taking any action. It should have had contingency plans to mitigate the fairly obvious risks and developed specific measures far sooner in response to first-hand accounts being provided by the sector. The whole of Government needs a step change in how it engages with industry, taking seriously the concerns they raise and acting promptly on them. As a first step in achieving this, we recommend that the Food Industry Resilience Forum should meet at least monthly throughout 2022 and 2023, for a senior Home Office official to attend, and for the Government to publish minutes of its meetings within a fortnight.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response focuses on the cost of applying for a sponsor license and immigration skills charge. The response does not address the recommendation to improve government engagement with industry or the Food Industry Resilience Forum.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
37
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
respond to disruption. This was successfully demonstrated in response to unprecedented disruption to both supply and demand throughout the Covid-19 response. Since March 2020, the Home Office has delivered an extensive, wide-reaching campaign and engagement programme targeting employers and other interested parties about the EU Settlement Scheme and new immigration system. As of mid-May 2022, the Home Office has delivered over 550 events reaching over 40,000 stakeholders. The agriculture and food supply sector has been present at many of the cross-sector events and the Home Office has also specifically led or participated in 17 agriculture or food supply sector focused events during this period. Defra does not intend to stand up the Food Resilience Industry Forum regularly in response to labour shortages in the food and farming sector. Instead, Defra will continue to engage with industry through a range of stakeholder engagement and forums and to monitor any key pressures in the labour market. The Home Office will attend Defra forums to engage on immigration issues when relevant, alongside other departments, such as the Department for Education and Department for Work and Pensions to have a rounded discussion on workforce capacity issues. A Food Resilience Industry Forum can be stood up at short notice should the need arise.
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