Brexit becoming ‘the stuff of nightmares’ says food executive

Brexit is becoming “the stuff of nightmares,” a food industry boss has said.

Food and Drink Federation (FDF) chief executive Ian Wright urged ministers to explain the implications of leaving the European Union without a trade deal to businesses in the industry.

He told the i newspaper: “Brexit is shaping up to be the stuff of nightmares and it’s essential the government begins to explain a) to businesses and b) the public exactly what the implications of a no-deal Brexit are.”

Speculation around stockpiling has been mounting in recent days following suggestions from ministers that it would be a “sensible” thing for the government to do.

Mr Wright last week called for a meeting with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab “at the earliest opportunity” in response to comments he made to the Brexit select committee, where he suggested it would be up to suppliers to stockpile food in the case of a no-deal Brexit.

Mr Raab said it would be “wrong” to suggest that the government would be responsible for amassing large amounts of supplies. But he said it would take steps to ensure “adequate food supply”.

It emerged yesterday that plans for a permanent solution to Operation Stack, which is activated at the port of Dover to ease crosschannel traffic, is unlikely to be in place for many years.

Jim Winship, director of the British Sandwich & Food to Go Association, told BBC Newsnight on Monday: “We live in a just-in-time world. We don’t stockpile ingredients. There are probably going to be shortages of ingredients, particularly like tomatoes, which we buy in quite a lot from Spain and Europe generally, lettuce.”

Prime Minister Theresa May and ministers last week suggested that stockpiling food supplies could be a “sensible” part of contingency plans.

It came as Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned the UK and EU face a “messy divorce” if Brexit talks break down. His Austrian counterpart Karin Kneissl played down Mr Hunt’s claim that both sides could be heading for an accidental no-deal Brexit.