UK to Offer Emergency Visas for Butchers

The Environment Secretary George Eustice has announced that temporary visas will address the issue which, according to farmers, threatens their livelihoods and raises concerns related to animal welfare.

The UK will offer emergency visas for foreign butchers for a duration of six months to avert the risk of mass culling of pigs, as farmers have complained that the exodus of workers from slaughterhouses and meat processing plants has led to a struggle for the survival of pig farming, reports Reuters.

According to the National Pig Association, the combination of Brexit and COVID-19 has triggered a mass exodus of workers from Eastern Europe, resulting in around 120,000 pigs not being culled across the country.