Trade volume to the EU will drop by up to 75% if more official veterinarians are not hired before the end of the Brexit transition period, according to the heads of the UK’s food and logistics trade unions.
Ireland’s agriculture minister Charlie McConalogue has raised concerns over the processed meat trade between Northern Ireland (NI) and the UK, after the UK Government proposed a two-way ban.
Widespread disruption will occur at the end of the Brexit transition period, despite Government work to overhaul systems, infrastructure and resources, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
A total of 39 trade body representatives have warned many of Great Britain’s food firms plan to stop trading with Northern Ireland (NI) due to the cost of rules and regulations post-Brexit.
Pilgrim’s Pride head of sustainability Matt Dight told Food Manufacture about the role COVID-19, Brexit and packaging will play in the future of the meat processor’s sustainability plans.
The Government has outlined actions that will need to be implemented by businesses before 2021, whether the UK ends up with a Canadian or Australian style deal with the EU.
A no-deal Brexit will be bad for food security, bad for business and bad for consumers, according to trade bodies commenting on the Prime Minister’s warning to UK businesses today (16 October).
Trade unions have united to urge the Government to do ‘whatever it takes’ to secure a trade deal with the EU to save jobs and prevent a schism along the Irish border.
Government plans for up to ten additional inland border sites to cope with Brexit congestion and border checks are ‘extremely last-minute and desperate’, according to supply and logistics specialist Scala.
The House of Lords has voted on two amendments to the Agriculture Bill that would mean that imported foods would have to meets domestic standards and the role of the Trade and Agriculture Commission would be strengthened.
The EU remains ‘intransigent’ on issues such as fisheries and is using the granting of third country status for animal products as a negotiating tactic, George Eustice, secretary of state for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA)...
Scotland’s meat wholesalers have written to secretary of state for Scotland Alister Jack, warning that the red meat sector is heading for ‘substantial market turbulence’ during the UK’s exit from the EU.
Inadequate Brexit preparations threaten more than £1bn of annual meat exports and thousands of jobs in the meat and livestock sector, according to the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA).
Food industry bosses including Adam Couch, chief executive of meat processor Cranswick, have been confirmed as members of the new trade advisory group (TAG) advising International Trade Secretary Liz Truss.
More than 1m people have signed a petition urging the Government to ensure future trade deals do not lead to an increase in imported foods that would be illegal to produce in the UK.
The Government needs to address major issues around the meat supply chain as Brexit approaches, the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has revealed.
The EU’s ask over fisheries is the “most ambitious” in its negotiations with the UK, the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove has told a committee in the House of Lords.
Adam Johnson, director of Tudor International Freight, questioned the Government’s Brexit stance on skilled labour and how it will affect the supply chain and logistics businesses.
The Government has been urged to keep to a “level playing field” on food standards to help protect UK farmers and producers in the wake of trade agreements.
Pressure on Government to safeguard the UK food and drink supply chain post-Brexit continues to increase, as industry bodies urged negotiators not to sacrifice jobs and standards in pursuit of trade deals outside the EU.
Brexit uncertainty and delays at the border will mean the shellfish sector suffers “disproportionately”, according to Luke Pollard, Labour (Co-operative) MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport and shadow environment secretary.
George Eustice, secretary of state for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), has dismissed claims that fishing will be used as a bargaining chip in the UK’s trade agreement with the EU.
The availability of seasonal staff, increasing cost pressures and the rise of veganism are all key challenges that will shape the future of food and drink in the UK, according to Regency Purchasing Group.
The UK will be at risk of higher food prices, reduced supply of short shelf-life goods and a lack of choice as a result of border friction with the EU, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Suppliers have voiced concerns about Brexit’s impact on exports, after admitting that uncertainty about the effects of the UK’s departure from the EU had already hit international trade.
A new policy paper recommending common themes the Government should use to develop future trade policy has been launched by a collaboration of food and drink organisations from across the supply chain.
Further tariffs on Scotch whisky by the US could threaten future trade negotiations with the superpower after the UK’s split with the EU, workers union GMB has warned.
Calls to fast-track deals with China and the US, concerns for the future of dairy trade with the EU and the impact of the UK’s exit from the EU on cold storage stockpiling all feature in this round-up of food industry Brexit news.
Senior industry personnel have less than a week to make their voice heard and outline their business’ expectations, aims and activities in 2020 in Food Manufacture’s exclusive State of the Nation survey.
Dairy UK has called for Government to rethink proposed tariffs for cheese post-Brexit, claiming they were inadequate to prevent price volatility or a loss of productivity and so would damage the dairy industry.
The Government’s inability to reassure UK food producers on the future of the industry post-Brexit has made the country an international embarrassment, Shore Capital head of research Clive Black has claimed.
Jane Marren, managing director of surplus food redistributor Company Shop, is starting to see the re-emergence of a forgotten favourite that could reduce waste as Brexit nears.
The GMB union has urged the government for assurances that the food sector’s UK workers won’t be caught in the crossfire of Brexit, while food manufacturers and farmers compete harder for a reduced number of non-UK EU nationals.