Ian Wright, the chief executive of UK trade body Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has said Britain leaving the European Union without a deal would be “potentially catastrophic”.
Speaking to Business Insider, Wright warned that Prime Minister Theresa May was ignoring the concerns of the food industry.
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He told the title that there is now a 60% chance of the UK leaving the EU without deal.
Wright said that the industry is “increasingly scared” that Britain could now be facing a no-deal Brexit after May’s deal with the European Union was defeated in the UK Parliament.
He warned that the industry was completely unprepared for a no-deal exit.
“We keep telling them [the government] that it [a no-deal Brexit] is potentially catastrophic but it is difficult to know just how much they’re listening,” he said.
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By GlobalDataWright added that if MPs do not take decisive action in the next few weeks, a no-deal is “all but certain”.
A number of food manufactures have been stockpiling ingredients or finished products, fearing a shortage of supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
The latest is Irish dairy and sports nutrition group Glanbia.
The Irish Times newspaper reported that the company has begun stockpiling products in Britain and taken more warehousing space as it works on the assumption that Britain will leave the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Its chief executive Siobhan Talbot as told the newspaper: “We have stocks in the UK, more than we would normally have.”
She added: “We are very much planning for a no-deal at this stage, we have all the supply chain alternatives, all those pieces that one would expect but that does not mean that that would be easy and that does not mean that that wouldn’t be without its implications.”
