Christmas could be ruined for meat eaters as Britain faces a pigs in blankets shortage.
We wait 364 days for the big day to roll around but now people have said there could be a shortage for this year, reports BirminghamLive.
Meat industry experts have issued an alarming warning as we head towards December 25 amid a shortage of labour.
Apparently, there aren't enough workers to cope with demand as the weather turns frosty, the nights grow darker, and people begin to dust off the tinsel.
Britain isn't attracting enough EU workers because of Brexit and Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), told the BBC that the wrapping of bacon around cocktail sausages is done by hand and is "fiddly and hard to mechanise".
60 per cent of the workers needed to create treats like pigs in blankets come from other countries, sparking fears the UK faces a pigs in blankets shortage.
Mr Allen continued: "Packing plants need 10-15 per cent extra labour to get everything ready. And this is a challenge at the moment because of Brexit."
The British Poultry Council echoes the concerns and said that finding sufficient labour in the poultry meat sector is a 'massive challenge' amid the political climate.
"Many of our workers seek jobs in other countries," a spokesperson said.
The BMPA explained that there was difficulty in attracting more UK nationals to work on the plants because they're often located in rural areas with low wages.
But Mr Allen emphasised that "it's not just a Brexit issue," as working conditions, such as cold temperatures needed to preserve meat, made it hard to attract British employees.
A spokesperson added: "If these vacancies cannot be filled post-Brexit, we will not have access to the labour needed to feed this nation, which will have a significant impact on the production of, and therefore cost of food.
"This in turn would pose a risk to the affordability of British food."
