Poultry News
  • Production
    • Broiler Production
    • Ducks
    • Egg Production
    • Game
    • Hatching
    • Housing
    • Turkeys
  • Processing
  • Business & Politics
    • Business
    • Economics
    • EU & Politics
    • Marketing
    • People
    • Training & Education
  • Welfare
    • Environment
    • Food Safety
    • Vet & Medication
    • Welfare
  • Feed
  • Genetics
  • New Products
  • Magazines
    • July 2025
    • 2025 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Feed and Nutrition supplement
    • February 2025
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • 2024 Building for the Future supplement
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Poultry Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • 2024 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • Pig & Poultry Fair 2024
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • March 2024
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • Processing Equipment Supplement – Nov 2023
    • October 2023
    • Building Supplement – Sept 2023
    • September 2023
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Events
    • National Egg and Poultry Awards
    • Poultry Fair
    • Webinars
Twitter LinkedIn
  • FREE Email Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
Twitter LinkedIn
Podcast
Poultry News
  • Production
    • Broiler Production
    • Ducks
    • Egg Production
    • Game
    • Hatching
    • Housing
    • Turkeys
  • Processing
  • Business & Politics
    • Business
    • Economics
    • EU & Politics
    • Marketing
    • People
    • Training & Education
  • Welfare
    • Environment
    • Food Safety
    • Vet & Medication
    • Welfare
  • Feed
  • Genetics
  • New Products
  • Magazines
    1. July 2025
    2. 2025 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    3. June 2025
    4. 2025 Innovation supplement
    5. May 2025
    6. April 2025
    7. March 2025
    8. 2025 Feed and Nutrition supplement
    9. February 2025
    10. January 2025
    11. December 2024
    12. November 2024
    13. October 2024
    14. September 2024
    15. 2024 Building for the Future supplement
    16. August 2024
    17. 2024 Poultry Health supplement
    18. July 2024
    19. 2024 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    20. June 2024
    21. 2024 Innovation supplement
    22. Pig & Poultry Fair 2024
    23. May 2024
    24. April 2024
    25. March 2024
    26. February 2024
    27. January 2024
    28. December 2023
    29. November 2023
    30. Processing Equipment Supplement – Nov 2023
    31. October 2023
    32. Building Supplement – Sept 2023
    33. September 2023
    Featured

    Poultry Business – July 2025 issue

    By Chloe RyanJuly 1, 2025
    Recent

    Poultry Business – July 2025 issue

    July 1, 2025

    Poultry Business – 2025 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement

    July 1, 2025

    Poultry Business – June 2025 issue

    June 9, 2025
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Events
    • National Egg and Poultry Awards
    • Poultry Fair
    • Webinars
Twitter LinkedIn
Poultry News
Business & Politics

Comment: A rebrand won’t alter the reality of staff shortages

Chloe RyanBy Chloe RyanMay 3, 20243 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

By Kerry Maxwell, communications manager, British Poultry Council

When I read that the Immigration Salary Discount List (ISDL) had replaced the Shortage Occupation List (SOL), it was the tone that immediately caught my eye. Nothing says, “just change your mindset!” like flipping the narrative from ‘genuine staff shortage’ to ‘immigrant salary discount.’

Poultry is half the meat the nation eats. We understand our connection with communities across the country and, as a result, we want to build bright and inclusive pathways for our people. Job security is food security, after all. So you can only imagine my face when I read the ‘rapid review’ of this new list, knowing there is no way this is a subject anyone can quickly skim through. How we view immigration is something that must be embedded into a bigger conversation on productivity, self-sufficiency, and the long-term sustainability of industry.

We all know a secure workforce is key to a sustainable food system – one that feeds people, tackles inequalities with quality, affordable food, and ensures a liveable climate for all. Securing a pipeline of domestic talent is imperative, and BPC members continue to do all they can, from providing upskilling and training programmes to investing in automation.

But this insistence on putting ideology before outcomes means supply chains risk being hampered rather than optimised. Instead of Government looking at inputs alone (ie who is working in British poultry), maybe we should all be looking at what we want British poultry to achieve and working to allocate investment and resource accordingly – from establishing the Agriskills Taskforce outlined in BPC’s ‘2024 and Beyond,’ to ensuring the Poultry Visa Scheme is cost-effective, flexible and ultimately fit for purpose.

Taking this approach to labour recognises that all workers, adverbs and adjectives aside, play a vital role in driving the outcomes we want to see in British food production. But when phrases like ‘immigration salary discount’ enter the chat, it reduces outcomes to short-term fixes and ‘rapid reviews’ that will only go on to create more problems.

I’ve written before that a combination of a declining workforce and productivity stasis is lethal. There is no shying away from a drop in output or overall stagnation if this Government (or one in waiting) cannot capture investment in agriskills while patching up holes in immigration, especially if some form of self-sufficiency is an objective for British food and farming as part of the green transition.

Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Previous ArticleFarmlay Eggs: A perspective on addressing retailer and supplier imbalance
Next Article Comment: Our new recruits are keen as mustard
Chloe Ryan

Editor of Poultry Business, Chloe has spent the past decade writing about the food industry from farming, through manufacturing, retail and foodservice. When not working, dog walking and reading biographies are her favourite hobbies.

Read Similar Stories

Business & Politics

Wyreside rebrands as Innovad Group

July 15, 20251 Min Read
Business & Politics

Comment: A cautious welcome for Defra’s spending plans

July 14, 20254 Mins Read
Business & Politics

Comment: New catching rules are a disaster

July 10, 20253 Mins Read
Latest News

Wyreside rebrands as Innovad Group

July 15, 2025

Comment: Why I still believe the Better Chicken Commitment has a future

July 14, 2025

Comment: A cautious welcome for Defra’s spending plans

July 14, 2025
Sponsored Content

Navigating Sustainability in Egg Production: Practical Steps for Producers

June 1, 2025

Maintain stable and continuous coccidiosis control amidst stocking density reductions

November 1, 2024
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

  • Farmers Weekly
  • AA Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • Pig World

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.