Fears Of Fresh Food Shortages Mount As UK Faces Isolation By V?ronique DUPONT
12/21/20 AT 10:26 AM
Britain could face a shortage of fresh produce and greens due to transport chaos at the border as tortuous Brexit talks linger and more countries shut borders after the emergence of a more contagious Covid-19 variant in England.
France on Sunday decided to prevent freight travelling through the key port of Dover, through which 10,000 heavy goods vehicles pass each day.
The decision, initially set to last for 48 hours, caused Britain to bring forward Operation Stack , the contingency plan drawn up to deal with anticipated freight tailbacks on roads around Dover in the event of a no deal Brexit.
comments
Passengers travelling from Britain to Germany late on Sunday night were left stranded at airport terminals
Germany s travel ban forced 63 people arriving in Hanover to sleep on campbeds as they awaited test results
Dozens of countries have since moved to shut down flights from the UK over the new virus strain
British Airways has agreed to force New York-bound passengers to get tested before their flight from Tuesday
Boris Johnson put London and much of the South East back into lockdown because of the new Covid variant
New-wave of bans mean the already hard-hit travel industry is set to take a further £400million hit this week
UK Retailers Urge Government to Ensure Food Supplies as French Border Shut
British retailers have urged the government to make an urgent effort to prevent prolonged suspension of cross-Channel transport, which they say would disrupt supplies of fresh produce to UK consumers.
To prevent the spread of a new, more transmissible variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus from the UK, the French government suspended all travel from the UK for 48 hours from 11 p.m. on Sunday night (midnight Paris time), including travel linked to goods transport by road, air, sea, or rail.
Sainsbury’s, one of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, urged the UK and French governments to work together to ensure food supplies to the UK market over the Christmas holidays.
Britain s two biggest supermarkets have warned gaps may start to appear on shelves within days due to France s ban on hauliers taking freight across the Channel from the UK.
The French action is over fears around the spread of a new, more infectious strain of coronavirus which is prevalent in London and southeast England.
Tesco and Sainsbury s said there would be shortages on products including lettuce, cauliflowers and citrus fruit if transport ties with the continent are not restored quickly.
However, the supermarkets said they had plenty of food for Christmas available in stores.
Their warning echoed a statement from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which said that fresh food supplies face serious disruption over Christmas.
Coronavirus: Evening update
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday evening. We ll have another update for you tomorrow morning.
1. UK and France hope for fast border solution
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he and French President Emmanuel Macron hope to ease the flow of trade between the two nations in the next few hours , after France shut its borders to UK hauliers for 48 hours due to the new coronavirus variant. The variant, which is thought to transmit at a faster rate, is being blamed for a surge in UK cases - and has caused concern among other nations. But, speaking at Downing Street on Monday evening, the PM said a solution would be found as fast as possible . Mr Johnson also revealed 500,000 people in the UK had received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. He added the UK could look forward to a very different world from Easter . You can learn more about when you will be in line for the vaccine here.