Police arrests after food industry workers held in ‘slave-like’ conditions

A man aged 52 and a woman aged 50 from the Maidstone area were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking for labour exploitation offences.

The arrests followed a joint investigations by Kent Police, the Gangmaster Licensing Authority (GLA) and the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC).

The migrant workers were allegedly forced to work as chicken catchers for the food industry.

Detective inspector Keith Roberts said the arrest followed “reports received that migrant workers have been made to live in poor conditions and forced to work in an environment that gave little or no regard to their safety or general wellbeing”.​

Exploitation offences​

He added:  “By working with our partner agencies, we have been able to make these arrests and workers will now be offered help and support. Anyone found to be committing exploitation offences will be investigated fully and brought before the courts.”​

Ian Livsey, GLA chief executive, said: “We are determined to drive out those ruthless people who abuse and exploit vulnerable workers. Working with our partner agencies we have cracked down on potential exploitation in the food supply chain. ​

“There is no hiding place for those who exploit the vulnerable, and neither we nor our partner law enforcement agencies will tolerate abuse of the vulnerable worker.”​

Serious Organised Crime Agency​

Liam Vernon, deputy head of the UKHTC at the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), said the men would  receive specialist care and support from SOCA’s vulnerable persons team and the Salvation Army.

Chicken catchers capture the birds and take them to a required destination.

Meanwhile in May, a report published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation claimed migrant workers in the food manufacturing sector suffered widespread abuse.

The report – Experiences of forced labour in the UK food industry​ – claimed that migrant workers were threatened or bullied in the workplace. Many allegedly suffered racist and sexist abuse, underpinning what the authors described as a: “climate of fear”.​

Speaking in May, Peter Pickthall, HR director R&R Ice Cream, said the practices described in the report were not representative of the food manufacturing sector.

They may apply to workers in agricultural field operations but not the food manufacturing sector, he told FoodManufacture.co.uk.

To read more about the report, click here​.

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