Chippies pray Norse cod will save them
Battered industry wants Norway to supply fish to stop prices rocketing
STRUGGLING chip shops are sending a desperate plea to Scandinavia saying: “Send more fish.”
Around 40% of Britain’s supplies come from Russia but its invasion of Ukraine has led to trade levies, shortages and soaring European prices.
Chippies are also being hit by the rising costs of energy, cooking oil and potatoes.
And there are fears that a third of businesses could close as customers battling the cost of living crisis cut back on the nation’s favourite takeaway treat.
Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, will make a plea for help on behalf of chippies in a speech to the annual Frozen At Sea gathering, organised by the Norwegian Seafood Council, in the port of Alesund on Wednesday.
He said: “Most vessel owners in Norway produce headed and gutted fish that is then sent to be processed elsewhere.
“I am hoping that I can get them to switch some vessels to produce fillets for my industry, as we need as many as we can get to help keep the price as under control as possible.” Mr Crook, who runs the Skippers of Euxton fish and chip restaurant, in Lancashire, added: “We are expecting a tariff on Russian white fish of 35%, which will force the price of all fish upwards.
“We cannot be so reliant on supplies from one specific region.”
The cost per kilo of Icelandic cod has gone from £7.80 last October to £16 now, while potato costs have risen by 30%. Ukrainian sunflower oil is up from £1.50 to £2.75 in the past three months, as outlets also deal with sky-high energy bills. As the public tightens their belts, those costs are having to be passed on, with the average price for a regular cod and chips having risen from £7 last year to £8.50 now, a 21% increase.
Mr Crook wants the Treasury to cut VAT levels to help save the fish and chips sector, which he says is “iconic and ingrained in the nation’s hearts”.
He added: “Not every business can be saved but action is needed now to ensure we get through this in the best shape possible. A third of our fish and chip shops could shut.”