Members of Parliament (MPs) have warned that chronic labor shortages in the agriculture and farming industries could lead to price increases and a growing reliance on imported food in the United Kingdom. According to a report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Committee, COVID and Brexit had a significant influence on the sector. MPs say that ministers should make it easier for competent individuals to communicate in English, and the seasonal worker visa program should be expanded. The DEFRA has declared that it will continue to work with the industry. Last year, a steep decline in offshore labor resulted in more than half a million job openings in the food and farming sector, out of a workforce of four million. Industry members had been warning the government since April 2021. The committee says that this was too little, too late. As a result, animal welfare, food security, and worker mental health all suffer.