NICOLA Sturgeon yesterday warned there could be food shortages after Christmas if the ongoing chaos at ports in the south of England is not soon cleared.
Hopes were buoyed by an announcement from French authorities that hauliers would be allowed to resume sailing across the Channel on a limited basis from midnight last night. However, those seeking to travel must have a negative test result.
It is thought the change may do little to ease huge queues of lorries in Kent. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urged lorry drivers not to head to the county in the hope of boarding a ferry or train.
The First Minister raised the concerns as she updated Holyrood yesterday afternoon on the pandemic and set out further measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, including a more highly infectious variant.
Some 40 countries around the world have closed their borders to the UK as they try to stop the mutant virus – found to account for a spike in cases in London and the south east – taking hold.
Sturgeon told MSPs that “by far the most serious impact” of the international restrictions placed on the UK derived from the closure of the UK/French border to accompanied freight. As a result of the decision, almost 3000 lorries were backed up in Kent yesterday, unable to reach the ferries for the continent.
“The situation is serious, urgent and, for our food exporters, rapidly deteriorating,” she told MSPs after taking part in a Cobra meeting on the issue on Monday and before heading into a second yesterday afternoon.
“It needs the UK Government to reach an agreement with France, without delay, to get freight moving again. There is no time to lose.”
She added: “I want to stress at the outset that we have no concerns about medicine supplies at this stage.
“And we have no immediate concerns about food supplies. Supermarkets are well stocked. And so there is absolutely no need for anyone to buy more than planned.
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“Of course, if the situation is not resolved in the next day or so, we may start to see pressure on some fresh produce after Christmas – but that is not a concern right now and I hope it will not arise at all.”
She went on to say that “the immediate concern” is the impact on Scotland’s food exporters, especially the seafood sector.
“This is the peak time of year for seafood exports and the Christmas export trade is now almost certainly lost. This is devastating for our world-class seafood businesses and they need our support,” she said.
“We are liaising with the sector on the need for immediate financial support and I also raised the issue of compensation at Cobra yesterday.”
“If that doesn’t happen almost immediately, the sector stands to lose its New Year export trade too.
“I very much hope a protocol will be agreed between the UK and France today – indeed that we may even get movement during this statement – but that is not yet certain.
“And what is even less certain is how long it will then take to put any agreement into operation.”
She said the Scottish Government was pressing the UK Government to give the issue “the utmost priority” and was ready to help in any way it could.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said the “borders really need to be running pretty much freely from tomorrow to assure us that there won’t be any disruption”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There is a problem potentially directly after Christmas and that is really in fresh produce, so we’re talking here about things like salad, vegetables, fresh fruit, of which the vast majority come from Europe at this time.”
Commenting on the agreement made with the French government yesterday evening, Sturgeon said they were still waiting to hear the details, “but if freight starts moving tomorrow – as we must hope it will – the plan to prioritise perishable produce such as seafood should be activated immediately”.
Ahead of last night’s announcement, Opie said: “If we do not see the empty trucks, which have already delivered to warehouses and stores,
getting back over the Channel, they will not be able to pick up the next consignment of fresh fruit, vegetables, salad vegetables.
“What we’ve been told by members is that unless those trucks can start travelling again and go back to Spain and Portugal and other parts of Europe, we will have problems with fresh produce from December 27.”
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