UK ministers are reportedly considering allowing up to 1000 foreign butchers into the country in a bid to stem food shortages at Christmas.

The Times reported that discussions are taking place in government which could see visa restrictions eased amid warnings that popular Christmas foods such as hams and pigs in blankets could be a rare sight come December.

The newspaper added that Priti Patel is resisting the policy with fears it could be a wider push by the sector to see a return to free movement.

The industry is short of around 15,000 staff, according to the British Meat Processors Association.

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A spokesperson for the group told The Times: “We’ve been managing to keep food supplies rolling, day to day, but we really should have been producing Christmas food from about June or July onwards this year and so far we haven’t been so there’ll be shortages of party foods and things like pigs in blankets.

“Anything that is labour intensive work could see shortages.”

But there are concerns even if the Government were to introduce the measure it would fail to stop shortages this Christmas – or even by next Christmas.

That’s because it takes 18 months to fully train a butcher and the industry is already struggling to recruit people.

Ministers are also reportedly in talks over relaxing the requirement for butchers to be able to speak a good level of English, with butchers being considered skilled workers under the UK’s points-based immigration system.

The shortage is even causing fears that up to 150,000 chickens could be culled within the next 10 days – prompting calls for emergency visas for butchers.

But Home Secretary Patel is said not to be keen on the ideas, with concerns it could undermine the UK’s post-Brexit immigration system.

The Times reported a government source as saying: “We’re not going to return to freedom of movement by incrementally adding every sector to the points-based immigration.”

The UK Government has already relaxed rules for HGV drivers and poultry workers, with 5000 and 5500 respectively being brought in to help plug a massive labour gap in the industry.

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Britain is short around 100,000 drivers according to the Road Haulage Association.

Now, temporary visas will be introduced in the three months up to Christmas Eve.

Covid and Brexit have been among the major factors affecting the labour market.

Many European drivers left the UK after Brexit, but now some may be heading back to help save Christmas stock – but only for a few months.