Dairy farmers say worker shortage is threatening UK food security

The Arla cooperative says five in six farmers receive very few or zero applications for job vacancies

Dairy farmers have warned that a long-running shortage of workers, exacerbated by Brexit and the pandemic, has put the UK's food security under pressure.

Five in six farmers who have looked for workers said they have received very few or zero applications from qualified people for their job vacancies, according to a survey of dairy producers by Arla, the UK's largest dairy cooperative and the owner of the Lurpak and Cravendale brands.