We welcome the report of the Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain (the Shropshire Review), and support its recommendations regarding both skilled and seasonal migrant labour. Troublingly, the Shropshire Review has found evidence that the UK’s immigration policy is creating labour shortages that have “seriously impacted the food and farming industry” which it noted “may ultimately threaten food security”.251 As we foresaw in our earlier Report on labour, some production has now moved overseas as result of labour shortages, while other businesses are planning to. We also note that the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme does not affect net migration. It is imperative that the Government listens to the Review’s analysis and constructively considers its recommendations. In doing so, the Government must prioritise the country’s long-term food security ahead of other considerations to ensure the food supply chain has access to sufficient labour, including from overseas, to allow it to realise its growth potential. Failure to do so places at risk the achievement of the Government’s self-sufficiency target and broader food security. The Government must adhere to its stated six-month timeframe to respond to the Independent Review’s report. (Paragraph 35) 251 Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain, Report, June 2023, p32, para 86 Food Security 47