UK shoppers could see supermarket shelves empty unless the government takes urgent action to tackle the truck driver shortage caused by Covid and Brexit.
Business leaders have written to the government to demand measures allowing drivers from Eastern Europe to re-enter the country to avoid an unprecedented shock to food supplies.
The letter was signed by the Food and Beverage Federation, the British Frozen Food Federation, the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, the Cold Chain Federation, the British Meat Producers Association and the British Beer and Pub Association.
“We firmly believe that Prime Minister / Cabinet intervention is the only way to prevent critical supply chains from failing to an unprecedented and unimaginable level,” the trade bodies wrote.
“Supermarkets are already reporting that they are not receiving their expected food stocks and as a result there is considerable waste,” he said.
A long-term shortage of heavy truck drivers has worsened over the past year and is estimated at 100,000, with no signs of abating.
A recent Road Haulage Association survey of 796 companies showed that all companies had vacancies.
“Supermarkets are already reporting that they are not receiving their expected food stocks and as a result there is considerable waste,” the letter said.
Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, told ITV News: “We are weeks away from gaps on the shelves, it is as bad as that.
“The government must treat this as a top priority. “
The letter to the prime minister warned that there was “no immediate plan” to tackle the driver shortage.
A spokesperson for the British Retail Consortium said: “Supermarkets work closely with their suppliers to ensure that consumers always have access to the same wide variety of products.
“The government must rapidly increase the number of heavy-duty driving tests while seeking a long-term solution to this problem.”
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Source: www.independent.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-26 02:50:09
