Supermarket chiefs call for urgent intervention over Northern Ireland food supplies

The heads of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Iceland, Co-Op and Marks & Spencer – in a letter to cabinet office minister Michael Gove – warned that food shortages would worsen when a Brexit grace period ends on 31 March.

The supermarkets called on the government to take “a number of steps to work with us to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Northern Irish grocery market”.

In response, a UK government spokesperson told Press Association: “A new dedicated team in government has already been set up and will be working with supermarkets, the food industry and the Northern Ireland Executive to develop ways to streamline the movement of goods in accordance with the protocol.”

The spokesperson added: “The grace period for supermarkets and their suppliers is working well, goods continue to flow effectively between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and we are working intensively with industry as new requirements come in.”

Meanwhile, an 11-page report sent to Gove by the Road Haulage Association’s chief executive, Richard Burnett, presents the prospect of “a collapse of the Northern Ireland supply chain” within five days if ministers fail to act urgently.

In response to the situation, a spokesperson for Henderson told Talking Retail: “Henderson Wholesale has been building stocks over the last three months to mitigate the impact of Brexit. However, our suppliers and hauliers are beginning to experience delays as we all try to navigate onerous levels of bureaucracy and red tape.

“We have built stocks as much as possible, however, there is a limit to how much stock of fresh products that can be held.”