Christmas dinner favourites pigs-in-blankets could be off the festive menu amid fears of a pork shortage as migrant workers leave the UK because of uncertainty over Brexit .
Bacon butties could also be in danger after a massive drop in seasonal migrant workers, industry bosses warned.
These workers usually provide the extra manpower needed for the busiest time of the year on pig farms, abattoirs and processing plants.
According to industry body the British Meat Processors Association there is currently a 30% shortfall of labourers in the run up to the festive season.
And that could lead to bacon, ham and pork being in short supply in the weeks ahead.
A spokesman told trade journal The Grocer that processing plants were 'already approaching the point where they're 10% to 15% down in terms of worker numbers, despite needing an extra 10% to 15% for the festive season."
BMPA chief executive Nick Allen, said: "We were struggling for labour anyway and the run-up to Christmas is when it gets even tougher.
"No one is saying processors will not be able to fulfil orders, but they'll tailor them accordingly. Whether that leaves a gap or not, it's a job to know."
Also The National Pig Association said that meat process were “concerned about not fulfilling orders”.
Thousands of tonnes of home grown fruit and veg is currently being left to rot in fields as migrant farm workers have deserted the UK.
With the number of pickers – mainly from Eastern Europe – plummeting the food waste is likely to push up prices in supermarkets with apples and berries the hardest hit.
Many farms and factories in the meat industry were already suffering shortfalls over the summer before the additional migrant workers they rely on in the weeks before Christmas.
National Pig Association senior policy advisor Ed Barker said a number of processors were "concerned about not fulfilling orders" and that labour shortages were now also biting in abattoirs and on pig farms.
Fresh food producers had previously reported similar shortages for crop pickers and processing plant workers in recent weeks leading to fears of price rises and shortages for fruit and veg as much of it was left to rot in fields as there were not enough workers to pick it all.
