Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department will announce the seasonal worker scheme for the poultry industry for the 2022 Christmas period.

The Government does not currently plan to reintroduce a scheme for temporary visas to poultry workers in 2022. We will however keep labour market data under very careful scrutiny to monitor any pressures in the poultry sector.

Our points-based system allows for many roles in poultry production to be recruited via the Skilled Worker route, such as poultry processors, bird dressers, pluckers, trussers and butchers for all meats.