New police-style powers have been given to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) to tackle modern slavery and labour exploitation in the agri-food supply chain.
About 70 people suspected of being abused for slave labour at a Birmingham food factory have been safeguarded by West Midlands Police, after a raid yesterday (May 23).
Two human traffickers have been jailed for three and a half years each for forcing a pair of food factory workers to endure squalid conditions and hunger with almost no pay.
Food and drink businesses with a turnover of more than £36M a year should prepare now to comply with the new Modern Slavery Act or risk “disaster”, warns law firm Roythornes, after Nestlé revealed plans to stamp out labour abuses in its supply chain.
Eight people have been charged from Plymouth and Cornwall as part of a major investigation into forced labour, human trafficking and illegal gangmaster activity in the UK food chain.
Two Portadown men appeared before magistrates in Northern Ireland (NI) last month charged with a total of 50 offences, following a joint investigation into suspected human trafficking and labour exploitation of workers in a meat processing factory.
Five top food retailers, including Tesco and Sainsbury, are backing a campaign to end employee exploitation in food production, retail and horticulture, dubbed ‘Stronger Together’.
The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) has assisted in the prosecution of six people believed to be involved in human trafficking to supply flower packing and meat processing workers.
Lithuanian men may have been trafficked into the UK specifically for exploitation in the food industry, according to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).
