Ah, these sunlit uplands of Brexit truly know no bounds. The Save British Food group (also known as Save British Farming) has issued a chilling warning on Sunday, after scores of supermarkets were left without any fresh produce on their shelves over the weekend.
UK facing ‘looming food crisis’ in months ahead
Liz Webster, chair of the organisation, has slammed ‘Brexit red tape’ for creating major supply chain issues. She has stated that tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes will be hard to come by in the months ahead, due to the UK’s new relationship with the EU.
“Things are about to get a lot worse for food supply in Britain. It’s tomatoes, cucumbers, and potatoes are likely to be next. Next few months are when our food stocks are empty, and we rely on imports. EU countries don’t want to export to us, due to Brexit red tape.” | Liz Webster
Why are supermarket shelves empty again?
In a statement issued on Sunday, Save British Food now believe a ‘looming catastrophe’ is on the horizon. They argue that the UK’s food supply is now at risk, and cite ‘rejoining EU trade agreements‘ as the only way to avert a significant crisis.
“We warned that a food crisis was inevitable thanks to Brexit. The war in Ukraine and COVID-19 have expedited and exacerbated this, and a looming catastrophe is certain. To protect food supply, Britain must be in the EU Single Market and Customs Union.” | Save British Food
Fresh produce ‘running out’ across Britain – and Brexit has been blamed
It’s easy to see why Liz Webster and her colleagues have gone public with their fears. Over the last 48 hours, shoppers across the country have reported shortages of fresh produce and empty shelves at their local supermarkets.
Entire aisles have been left bare in some places, and according to Save British Food’s latest forecast, things will get a lot worse before they begin to improve. Still, at least our passport covers are blue again…