UK may be hit by food shortage over no-deal Brexit: Lobby group
A major lobby group representing food retailers and grocers in Britain has warned that if the country exits the European Union without an agreement, the UK could face serious disruptions to its food supply.
“While we have been working closely with our suppliers on contingency plans it is not possible to mitigate all the risks to our supply chains and we fear significant disruption in the short term as a result if there is no Brexit deal,” read a letter sent Monday by The British Retail Consortium (BRC) to members of the British parliament.
The group, which represents firms including Sainsbury’s, Asda, McDonald’s and KFC, warned that the UK could have its food security threatened by a no-deal Brexit as the country imports nearly a third of its food from the EU.
It said the problem will become even more complicated by the fact that British produce is out of season in March when Brexit happens.
“As this produce is fresh and perishable, it needs to be moved quickly from farms to our stores,” said the BRC letter,
“This complex, ‘just in time’ supply chain will be significantly disrupted in the event of no deal.”
The letter comes as the House of Commons will hold a crunch vote on Tuesday on what Prime Minister Theresa May’s next steps on Brexit should be after she failed to secure the parliament’s vote on a draft Brexit deal she had signed with the EU in November.
Some lawmakers in the Commons have been seeking to introduce motions and amendments that could force the government to completely rule out a no-deal Brexit. The BRC urged the lawmakers in its letter to continue with those efforts.
“We are therefore asking you to work with your colleagues in Parliament urgently to find a solution that avoids the shock of a no-deal Brexit on 29 March and removes these risks for UK consumers,” said the letter.
May’s government has indicated that there would be no option but to leave the EU at the end of March if the Commons reject an improved version of her draft Brexit deal.
That has prompted business leaders to warn of serious economic impacts of a disorderly exit from the EU as many insist the highly-feared situation could create massive shocks in the markets and result in huge financial losses for both the UK and the EU.
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