No-deal Brexit could raise prices of fruit, veg, says ex-trade minister
Supermarkets would be unable to stockpile fresh food including vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy in the case of a no-deal Brexit, a former Waitrose managing director said on Thursday.
The comments from Mark Price, also a former Conservative trade minister, came after new Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed the Government was planning on keeping an "adequate food supply" if the UK and EU fail to strike a deal.
“We only produce in this country about 25% of the fruit and veg we consume. On fruit 30% comes from Europe, the rest comes from around the world, but on vegetables 80% comes from Europe and particularly Spain’s salad crops," Price told the BBC.
Even if the UK could get the goods from other parts of the world, importers would still be hit with additional costs if the UK reverts to World Trade Organisations tariffs, he added.
"What you will see is, rather than a pinch on supply - although that is highly likely - a pretty significant increase in the cost of fruit and veg, the cost of meat and the cost of dairy products,” he said.
French minister for European Affairs Nathalie Loiseau said the UK would suffer the worst from a no-deal divorce, it would also slow down trade relations between the UK and France, Belgium, the Netherlands and every entry point to the EU.
"On the day of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union with no deal, we should start with new tariffs (and) controls and that means of course traffic jams in Calais and in each and every European port welcoming goods and people coming from the United Kingdom," she said.