UK supermarket bosses have written a letter to Members of Parliament outlining the impact a no-deal Brexit could have on their food supply chains from Europe.

Sky News has published the letter which explains that almost one third of the food consumed in the UK comes from the EU.

“As prudent businesses we are stockpiling where possible, but all frozen and chilled storage is already being used and there is very little general warehousing space available in the UK,” the letter states.

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The letter is signed by the heads of Sainsburys, ASDA, M&S, Waitrose, Pret Á Manger, Lidl and McDonalds, among others.

It also outlines the devastating impact tariffs could have saying, “if the UK were to revert to WTO Most Favoured Nation status…it would greatly increase import costs.”

The letter continues by stating that even if the tariff rate were set at zero this could have a negative impact on the UK’s own farmers, allowing for cheap imports undermining home produce.

The letter concludes by urging MPs to find a way to reach solution on Brexit before the 29 March deadline.

Ireland

The letter will heighten concerns for many Irish farmers who fear that a no-deal situation could lead to tariffs on Irish exports to the UK.

According to Bord Bia, 37% of all Irish food and drink is exported to the UK every year at a value of €4.5bn to the Irish economy.

There are also growing concerns that border checks between the north and south of Ireland could be put in force.

With up to 33,000 milk lorry crossings every year along the border and some farms straddling both countries, it’s unknown how this would impact local trade and farming communities along the border.