Tuesday 21 June 2022

Midsummer's nightmare

Listening to Farming Today early this morning, a turkey farmer was warning of shortages at Christmas, not that I care. The reason is that he (and his colleagues) had asked for 5000 workers to be allowed to come over from Europe for a couple of weeks to help out in the season, but the government said they were only allowed to have 2000. If this is not a decision based on ideology not pragmatism, I don't know what is.

What with the train strikes and the old arguments between unions and Tories, they are talking of another 'Winter of discontent'. Shakespeare's line referred to the final stages of discontent, not the actual season. Think of it as being in the Autumn of your life. Or the Winter if you like.

11 comments:

  1. Oh Tom - dear Tom - please do read and reply to the post I have just put on (we must have been writing them simultaneously).

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  2. Didn't we get told last Christmas that there would be a turkey shortage? I think so and there were still more than enough turkeys to go around.

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    1. Yes, I think we were. I am sure the farmers would like to create panic buying so they can shift every last bird at exorbitant prices quickly in any case, but I think I read that about 90% of last years seasonal workers came from Europe. I don't know how many are being let in this year as compared to last. I cannot find the figures.

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  3. There are shortages everywhere and the causes are varied. Mustard in France (see CM blog), peanut butter and baby formula in the US (factories closed due to food safety issues). Yesterday, I could not find a butt end ham roast anywhere and nobody knows why. My motto is: expect the unexpected.

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    1. Our supermarkets will suddenly run out of one particular item for no apparent reason, and blame the shortage of lorry drivers. The less expensive markets like Lidl never seem to run out of anything.

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  4. Yes, the total worker visas allowed were the number that Scotland needs....and the date allowed was after the harvesting of fruit started. So 10% of strawberries are being ploughed back in.

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    1. The usual delayed mismanagement then. God, they are effing hopeless.

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    2. I didn't put that quite right...the total number of visas allowed for the whole UK....Was the total needed for Scotland....

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    3. Oh, that makes more sense - or nonsense.

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