An urgent warning has been issued that some of our festive food favourites could be missing from shelves this Christmas.
Because of post Brexit issues shoppers could find it hard to get hold of pigs in blankets or ham come the festive season.
British Meat Packers Association chief executive Nick Allen blamed the Government's immigration policies for staffing challenges faced by many companies.
READ MORE: Supply chain issues lead McDonald's to run out of milkshakes
He told PA that on average BMPA members are around 12%-13% short on staff, with one company missing about a fifth of its workforce.
He said: "Some of the pig processors are having to cut down on how many pigs they are processing a week so that's starting to have an impact back on the farm.
"We are cutting back and prioritising lines and cutting out on things, so there just won't be the totals of Christmas favourites like we are used to."
He said usual demand for pigs in blankets - sausages wrapped in bacon - reaches about 40 million packets, but a shortage of labour to make them could mean production is cut by a third.
Supplies of gammon could also be affected, he added.
Supply issues have also hit McDonald's, with the burger chain r unning out of milkshakes and bottled drinks across its 1,250 outlets in England, Scotland and Wales.
A spokesman said the group is "working hard to return these items to the menu".
He added: "Like most retailers, we are currently experiencing some supply chain issues, impacting the availability of a small number of products.
"Bottled drinks and milkshakes are temporarily unavailable in restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales.
"We apologise for any inconvenience, and thank our customers for their continued patience."
