UK GOVT IMMIGRATION POLICY STIFLING UK SEAFOOD PROCESSING SECTOR GROWTH

UK Govt immigration policy stifling UK seafood processing sector growth. The UK Government’s recent tightening of immigration rules has made a ‘bad situation even worse’ for Scotland’s seafood processing sector, stifling opportunities for growth and benefiting competitor countries, claims Scottish Seafood Association chief executive, Jimmy Buchan.

Speaking exclusively to Fish Focus, Mr Buchan says the new regulations, which include increasing the minimum salary threshold to £38,700, and ending the 20% minimum salary discount for ‘shortage occupations’, will place the Scottish processing sector in an even more difficult position than currently experienced.

He said:

“This really is making a bad situation worse and we fail to comprehend why the UK government doesn’t recognise the acute labour shortage problem that is hitting the Scottish seafood processing sector. If we don’t remain competitive, the only beneficiaries will be neighbouring countries, and which could result in our precious home-caught raw material being processed elsewhere.

“In this post Brexit era, the UK Government has the flexibility and power to create the right economic conditions for our sector to thrive, but through belligerence and dogma, refuses to do so. The result is that fragile coastal communities, and the wider UK economy, suffers – which our sector finds incomprehensible when sensible policies could so easily be implemented to stimulate growth.

“Such a difficult situation for our sector is further compounded by soaring energy prices and the cost-of-living crisis for consumers. What we require is the correct business environment to work in – where labour is easily sourced, energy prices are not excessive and exporting is smooth and easy.

“While automation and using more sophisticated processing technology may provide part of the answer, we still have a chronic shortage of available labour to fulfil the many vital roles necessary to ensure a successful processing operation.”