Government must act over food shortage disruption

Several supermarkets are commenting on food shortages and how there is far less choice due to post-Brexit migrating rules and problems caused by Covid-19. UK shops and fast food restaurants are struggling to stock amid labour and haulage shortages; lack of fruit and veg pickers, meat processors, HGV drivers and other roles.

This column has highlighted this growing issue on a number of occasions and we can now add McDonalds removing milkshakes from its menu at 1,250 outlets, Subway having issues with fresh produce and the Co-op and Iceland raising real concerns.

The disruption is causing supermarkets to cut back on variety in order to keep shelves full. Meat and poultry processing is especially hard hit due to a shortage of butchers which forced Nando’s to close 50 restaurants two weeks ago. This government needs to act as this is not going away and as if they have not got enough on their plate as it is; if there is a food shortage and the media continue to play on the ‘Christmas is cancelled’ theme, there will be consequences.

Iceland, Tesco and Greggs are warning that this will only get worse unless government acts soon; most unusual in our food chain and a market economy where price mechanisms balance supply and demand. These labour shortages are putting our post-Covid recovery at risk and will trigger inflation, with higher prices, and that will not play well for an increasingly unpopular government. This is also affecting farmers and growers as some of these costs are being pushed down the line.

Arla, for example, is looking to drop its milk price by 0.9p per litre in September due to increased costs, in particular fuel, energy and packaging due to global recovery post Covid. While Arla will still be paying a very good price, drops of almost a penny are huge and it will be felt on farms. Farmers are being hit with global recovery costs themselves as feed, fertiliser energy and fuel costs go up, eating into margins. They are now facing pressure from both ends; increased costs and reducing prices.

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is back in London causing chaos in the West End, with huge police resource wasted in guarding against their worst excesses and arresting them. This is apparently the first in a wave of summer protests which will be a real pain for ordinary working people. What XR refuse to acknowledge is that every effort is being made to mitigate climate change and there are big plans for reducing it further in every sector. Although they don’t care, there is every chance that their activity could mean less enthusiasm for climate change by ordinary people, especially those who are struggling.

While they party and have a good time, the reality is the same as any other single-issue group: they want to change the way we live. In this instance they are against modern life and they mean to use climate change to force radical change, making us poorer and depriving people of everyday things; some of which are essential, others not. However, while protesting is legitimate in a democracy, we should always look to see who is behind such activity and what they stand to gain, or what grudge they may have against society/ livestock farming/whatever.

It is also quite legitimate to see them questioned and how they measure up. Andrew Neil for example (like him or loathe him) is a tough interviewer and is very good at exposing those who have not got all their arguments and facts in order. He certainly tore into XR co-founder Roger Hallam on his lack of peer-reviewed scientific evidence, when he claimed six billion people could die! He also tackled him about XR’s lack of criticism when it comes to China, whereupon Roger extolled the virtue of honour and showing the way here.

Elsewhere, XR co-founder Dr Gail Bradbrook on the other hand was forced to admit she drives a diesel car as she claims she cannot afford an electric one and needs to take her children to football.

XR volunteer and city recruiter Jonathan Tassell reportedly said ‘We are all hypocrites; we are in a system’ (?) as he claimed not to be able to afford solar power. The difference is, Dr Bradbrook and Mr Tassell, this does not give you the right to cause havoc. Yes, you are hypocrites because you pretend that it’s all of us, whereas it is everyone.

Dr Bradbrook has also previously been criticised for flying 11,000 miles to Costa Rica for a holiday – reportedly because of a health issue which could not be treated in the UK.

I’m afraid that not only does her lifestyle not live up to the rhetoric by some considerable margin, but she, like the rest of us, is finding it difficult to change our lifestyle; only we do not cause damage and make a nuisance of ourselves and pretend to be holier than thou! Having said that, I made a rare visit to the Billingshurst waste centre last week on behalf of a friend and I was flabbergasted at the huge skips, full of consumer goods. In particular the small electronic appliance skip, full of electrical goods which were not that old and I suspect all replaced at least once or about to be replaced again with the last replaced item still in the attic – just in case.

Looking around in amazement at the vast quantities of stuff and how busy it was on a weekday, it certainly does make you think.

One of our most successful engineering companies, huge exporters and privately owned by the Bamford family; JCB was started by Joseph Cyril Bamford in 1945, not that long ago and is now the world’s third-largest construction equipment brand by volume now has 22 plants on four continents, is doing something.

This great company is really working on climate change by orchestrating a switch from diesel power to hydrogen for its internal combustion engines.

JCB engineers have now reached a stage where they are confident that zero tailpipe emissions are achievable. JCB also make award-winning smaller electric machinery, but for the larger machines battery is no good; cost, weight, robustness and time waiting for a charge are a few reasons why it does not work as they need to operate around the clock in many cases to earn their keep. The latest turbocharging, direct injection and spark plug technology means that hydrogen is incredibly effective in combustion engines today.

I was delighted to see Sharon Graham upset the odds, refused to stand down in order to allow the favoured candidates of the left and right a clear run and then triumph comfortably to become General Secretary of Britain’s largest trade union Unite. The first woman and one in the eye for Len McCluskey her predecessor, who played a major role in destroying the Labour Party; I do hope she keeps to her pledge to keep out of Westminster cycles.

I am not a Labour supporter or have much time for trade unions, but we have never needed effective opposition more; we also need trade unions to look after their members and not think they know best how to run the country.

Picture by Getty Images