UK faces 'permanent' food shortages
liverpoolecho.co.uk
liverpoolecho.co.uk
There was a huge shortage of HGV drivers before Covid, and before Brexit...it is just the govt and industry did literally nothing, even though they knew the average age of drivers is 55+, and all the drivers are retiring because of the conditions.
I think the big problem was less Brexit, and more the fact that the industry relied very heavily on cheap foreign labour that all went back to their countries when Covid hit.
There are problems with production too but they are largely: people having to self-isolate, and industrial action (it hasn't been in the media but strikes have hit certain companies, unf the big trade unions smell blood so they are pushing hard to shutdown the economy again).
But most supermarkets got what they had coming to them. Lidl was totally boycotted earlier last month because they had a habit of making drivers wait hours until they were ready to unload, and refusing any delivery if it was 15 minutes late. Some stores were totally empty...and they learned their lesson.
Also, I will say too: I haven't really noticed any shortages, two months ago my supermarket had some trouble getting a certain brand of bakery products for a couple of days...that was it (although some producers have been hit, it isn't widespread at all). Newspapers in the UK just have a real fetish for this topic because Brits are obsessed with this kind of thing (the panic buying at the start of Covid was insane...even then, there were no real shortages but Brits love this kind of thing).
I have also noticed a reduction in choice. They'll have something in a category of food, but there would previously have been 3 or 4 different options. Now just the one.
One of the first things I had trouble finding here was good pizza. I tried everything in the town I live in and couldn’t find something to satisfy the craving (I even resorted to Pizza Hut and Papa John’s just hoping for a little bit of America). I ended up finding a refrigerated (not frozen) pizza in waitrose (grocery store) and I fell in love. Seriously, it’s relatively healthy and absolutely delicious. Whenever I have a pizza urge I walk up to my local waitrose to get one. Well, in the last 2-3 months I haven’t been able to get my hands on one. Every time I go in the pizza section has less in it and never has the one I want. I’ve tried going different days and times. At first I thought I was unlucky, but I’m noticing it more (especially with minced Turkey). Can’t help but think this is related.
Also…I also live out in the Dale’s… I’ve noticed farmers have a lot more cows than lambs. Which is strange. I haven’t seen a cow out here in the last 5 years, now they are EVERYWHERE. Slowly starting to put it all together and realize that these are probably effects of Brexit and covid. Hopefully it doesn’t get any worse than preventing a grumpy American from finding some good pizza and enjoying lambs frolicking in some pastures :)
The issue is for small businesses. And the fact that NI was basically forgotten by most of the people voting for brexit (and by those making the remain campaign). The pub owner near my place always talk about the Ballymurphy massacre and how his fvourite cousins died there, i suspect him to be ex-IRA. He tells everyone he went back to vote for brexit to make NI people want to join Ireland, and that the effects were better than expected. Not sure if i believe him, but let's agree that the effect of brexit on northern ireland were not thought out.