UK meat carcasses sent to Ireland for butchering amid worker shortage

Meat processors have been reporting widespread shortages across the industry for some time

A problem for producers is that meat exported to the EU for butchering would not be allowed to be labelled as British when reimported to the UK for sale.

Meat processors in Great Britain are having to export carcasses destined for domestic consumption to the EU for butchering because of the shortage of skilled workers in the industry.

Beef producers are exporting carcasses to Ireland for butchering and packing, says Nick Allen, the chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association, before the products are brought back to Great Britain to be sold in supermarkets.