Nimisha Raja did all she could to prepare her business for 1 January but the upheaval is already taking its toll.
Will there be food shortages after Brexit?
08/12/2020
Leaving the EU single market and customs union will bring new friction and red tape for food importers
OPENING a bag of newly bought salad leaves to find an unpleasant hint of slime, or finding those beautiful purple plums you bought as a healthy treat never “ripen at home” but instead turn into a fusty mush after a week of stubborn rock-hard tastelessness, is an increasingly common experience.
Vegetables discarded in field due to Brexit and Covid as divorce bill £5bn higher than expected
09/07/2021
It comes as the Brexit "divorce bill" negotiated by the PM is up to £5 billion higher than the UK government expected.
A British fruit and veg farmer fears his crop will rot in the ground this year because of a shortage of pickers caused by Brexit and coronavirus.
A £5 billion EU continuity trade deal with Mexico, hailed by Whitehall as an “Aztec Brexit Boost”, has become obsolete – after the EU signed a more generous and comprehensive deal between its 27 members states and Mexico.
According to the boss of Europe’s largest haulage trade body, the UK is looking at a ‘nightmare scenario’ that will lead to ‘weeks, if not months’ of shortages.
A recent government report warned that labour shortages "caused by Brexit and accentuated by the pandemic" were badly affecting our food and farming sector, with fruit suppliers often forced to leave produce rotting in the fields.
Exports of fruit from the UK to the EU, including traditional English apples and pears, have more than halved since Brexit, according to data released by HMRC.
HMRC figures analysed by accountancy firm Hazlewoods indicates major decline in fruit sales to EU countries following introduction of trade barriers.
The Fresh Produce Consortium said the April draft proposals would have had a “devastating financial impact”.
UK food imports face disruption because ‘medieval’ government IT system not ready for red tape
31/12/2021
Technology glitch means fruit and vegetable importers can’t submit required paperwork from 1 January – and government still hasn’t worked out how to fix the problem.
Figures show Brexit compounding Covid disruption, with clothing exports plunging 60%, vegetables down 40% and cars 25%.
American agricultural lobby groups had criticised some of the import bans.
Ministers admitted the industry's "reliance on foreign workers" hadn't been solved after Brexit.
Tonnes of British-grown fruit wasted over shortages of EU workers amid no deal Brexit fears
04/10/2019
ITV News has figures showing tonnes of food is being wasted, as a shortage of farm workers means some UK crops are not being harvested.
The UK food industry said the main impact of such a departure from the bloc will be on fresh produce, such as fruit and vegetables, which cannot be stockpiled by retailers or consumers and are largely imported from the EU during the winter months.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said the British government can't force people to do specific jobs. / The exchange came as MPs were asking the environment secretary how farmers can get more labourers to work in fields to prevent food rotting in fields.
In this film, senior FT writers and British businesspeople examine how Brexit hit the UK economy, the political conspiracy of silence, and why there has not yet been a convincing case for a 'Brexit dividend'.
Supermarkets' rationing of fruit and veg 'could last for weeks' - but shelves in Europe are ‘heaving’ with fresh produce
21/03/2023
The rationing of fruit and vegetables by supermarkets "could last for weeks" an expert has warned - but shelves in Europe are "heaving" with fresh produce.
Supermarkets face post-Brexit fruit and veg scarcity thanks to shortage of skilled pickers
15/05/2021
Government's failure to allow in enough EU workers and new rules limiting visas for seasonal pickers are expected to leave tonnes of crops to rot while shelves lie empty.
Critical industry leaders have accused Home Secretary Suella Braverman of being disconnected from the realities facing short staffed sectors after she claimed that there is "no good reason" why more British people can't be trained to take up jobs as butchers and fruit pickers.
Shoppers said basic fruit and vegetables were missing in supermarkets across the country.
The ripple effects are being felt across a wide range of sectors, from farming and construction to retail.