A family farm that has been producing soft fruits for 75 years has said rising costs have forced it to stop growing berries. / "Many of them had come to us for years, they knew it was a good place to work," Ms Starkey said. "But with Brexit it became more difficult and they just did not feel welcome."

Another reason they cited was the effect of the covid pandemic, as well as the difficulty of recruiting staff following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union in 2016.

"Historically we’ve relied on the availability of skilled migrant workers from the EU," he said. "That has been extremely difficult. But we’ve filled that labour gap from the Philippines."

Figures seen by Sky News show how firms are recruiting outside Europe to secure the skills they need, with India in particular providing staff to fill key vacancies.

Rishi Sunak is facing fresh demands to improve the UK’s Brexit deal with the EU.

Critical industry leaders have accused Home Secretary Suella Braverman of being disconnected from the realities facing short staffed sectors after she claimed that there is "no good reason" why more British people can't be trained to take up jobs as butchers and fruit pickers.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the UK and the EU must strike a post-Brexit mutual free movement of people agreement if they are both to economically thrive over the next decade and beyond, affirms one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory, asset management and fintech organisations.

Could take ‘decades’ to shift away from reliance on overseas staff, say food sector leaders attending Downing Street summit.

It has been almost two and a half years since the United Kingdom signed its post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union (EU), which was expected to have multifaceted impacts on the UK economy.

It may have been over three years since the UK formally left the European Union but UK brands and retailers continue to face a slew of challenges in navigating post-Brexit trade. Drapers identifies the persistent pain points and how they are being managed.

THE frustration felt by Sarah Heward, co-owner of The Real Food Café, after missing out on funding for a bold tourism and hospitality training scheme is understandable.

Widespread pub closures show that there are no shortcuts to a high-wage economy.

Number of hospitality venue closures soars six-fold in a year - triggered by EU staff shortages.

The UK government needs to change post-Brexit visa rules in order to help firms overcome worsening labour shortages, UK lawmakers have said in a new report.

A law firm in Chester has highlighted Brexit's impact on the UK's skills shortage as a growing number of companies look to hire workers from overseas.

A CHESTER law firm has seen a “huge” rise in immigration enquiries, as companies look to employ foreign workers to address the post-Brexit skills shortage.

Corrine Bentham, Senior Associate at Eversheds Sutherland, comments on labour and recruitment data obtained by the law firm through and freedom of information request.

"The jury is in, the fat lady has sung, there is no debate anymore." / The UK is on track to be the worst-performing G7 economy this year – despite an upgrade from the International Monetary Fund.

A RESTAURANT owner said unless the Government reverses Brexit, all industries are going to suffer.

Four in five businesses are struggling to fill vacancies because of a lack of skilled workers – the highest number in 17 years, new research suggests.

UK seeing ‘biggest squeeze on living standards’ on record, says head of fiscal watchdog.

Swathes of the UK economy including health, warehousing and packing are being propped up by migrant workers – casting doubt on the prudence of the Conservative Party’s promise to tighten immigration policy.

THE Bailiwick is increasingly looking to Kenya to fill critical gaps in the job market.

She points to Brexit as part of the problem – leaving the European Union has introduced numerous complications, particularly around customs charges. In the UK, farmers saw an exodus of Eastern European workers... / “I could go on a whole political rant about the fallout of Brexit and [how] that relates to food, music, gigs, all kinds of things,” she says, her brow knitted.