Irish vegetable supply remains steady, despite the ban on freight moving between France and the UK, IFA national horticulture chair Paul Brophy told the Irish Farmers Journal.
The ban which came into effect on Sunday evening has had an undesired influence on Irish agri food exports, with processors such as Kildare Chilling warning that production in their business has been jeopardised by the move.
The IFA has said vegetable supply in shops should not be affected, with direct sailing capacity for veg imported from the continent.
Maintaining trade
“If this happened 10 days ago, it would have been a whole different story. Luckily, stores have got their stocks in early for Christmas and we shouldn’t face any difficulties,” Brophy said.
“A lot of exporters will use the ferry to get the supplies to us, avoiding the UK land bridge entirely.
"To my knowledge, Dover is closed completely at the moment and it’s hard to know when trucks will flow there again.”
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s has released a notice warning that there will be shortages on some fruit and veg, stating that if circumstances remain the same over the coming days, gaps in supply in certain products will be evident.
Brophy continued: “The UK will be the worst hit by the ban, with shortages on products such as iceberg lettuce, broccoli and many of the items that originate from Spain.
"It’s important during this time to maintain our freight trade with the UK for the sake of our mushroom growers. Losing the market, even on a short-term basis, would have negative consequences for them.”
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Irish vegetable supply remains steady, despite the ban on freight moving between France and the UK, IFA national horticulture chair Paul Brophy told the Irish Farmers Journal.
The ban which came into effect on Sunday evening has had an undesired influence on Irish agri food exports, with processors such as Kildare Chilling warning that production in their business has been jeopardised by the move.
The IFA has said vegetable supply in shops should not be affected, with direct sailing capacity for veg imported from the continent.
Maintaining trade
“If this happened 10 days ago, it would have been a whole different story. Luckily, stores have got their stocks in early for Christmas and we shouldn’t face any difficulties,” Brophy said.
“A lot of exporters will use the ferry to get the supplies to us, avoiding the UK land bridge entirely.
"To my knowledge, Dover is closed completely at the moment and it’s hard to know when trucks will flow there again.”
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s has released a notice warning that there will be shortages on some fruit and veg, stating that if circumstances remain the same over the coming days, gaps in supply in certain products will be evident.
Brophy continued: “The UK will be the worst hit by the ban, with shortages on products such as iceberg lettuce, broccoli and many of the items that originate from Spain.
"It’s important during this time to maintain our freight trade with the UK for the sake of our mushroom growers. Losing the market, even on a short-term basis, would have negative consequences for them.”
Read more
Additional boat to travel from Rosslare to France
‘Green lanes’ essential for Irish trucks amid freight ban chaos
Kildare Chilling beef and sheep kill ‘in jeopardy’ due to UK freight ban
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