UK ID card system yields shortage of migrant workers
17 April, 2009
category: Biometrics, Government
The UK sheep farmers are seeing a shortage of sheep shearers due to the new ID card system attached to the migrant work-permit program, according to a Bloomberg news article. As the biometric ID cards that are required for the work permits cost roughly $300, shearers from New Zealand and Australia, where majority of the workers come from, seem to be opting out of coming to the UK
Since only one worker out of the normal 500 has confirmed making the trip so far, the British Wool Marketing Board is worried for the welfare of the animals that could go without shearing during the hot summer months. The 500 seasonal workers have been responsible for shearing roughly 14.5 million sheep in years past.
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