,
13 tweets,
4 min read
Read on Twitter
Deeply concerning. @profTimLang on the food implications for consumers and public health of a no-deal Brexit @TheLancet. (Registration required) key points below thelancet.com/journals/lance…
Uk which receives "28% of its food in 2018 directly from the European Union (EU), plus 11% more through EU trade deals, is now planning...to leave the EU (“Brexit”) on Oct 31, 2019, with or without an agreement on how and what the terms are for trade, customs, and food security."
"A leaked memorandum to cabinet ministers by Sir Mark Sedwill, the head of the civil service and National Security Adviser, indicated that food prices in the UK could rise by up to 10% and there would be disruptions to fresh produce supplies" #RemainVoter
"Disruption and shortages are predicted for fruit, vegetables, and short shelf-life food supplies that rely on imports" #RemainVoter
"In the event of a no-deal Brexit on Oct 31, the working assumption is that France will impose EU rules about tariffs (border taxes) and has to, by law, treat the UK as a “third country” without any trade agreement with the EU."
"This will be enforced at key ports through which food arrives in the UK, notably Calais. In this scenario, the UK would have to trade on World Trade Organization terms" #RemainVoter
"the flow of trucks through the main UK ports, notably Dover, could drop by a third or more within 1 day of a no-deal Brexit. If this level of disruption continued for 2–3 months, the effects would be unprecedented in peacetime." #RemainVoter
"Most UK fresh food imports come from within the EU—19% of fruit and vegetables from Spain alone—and even sources outside the EU such as Morocco or Egypt are via EU trade deals. Food prices are likely to rise by more than Sedwill's estimate of 10%." #RemainVoter
"No public advice has been given yet on how this might restrict current dietary health advice. The UK already underconsumes fruit and vegetables. The concern is that Brexit disruptions will worsen the gap between advice and reality, particularly for people on low incomes."
" £138 million “Prepare for Brexit” campaign, including £100 million for a public information campaign ... is about to begin and is designed to reassure the nation. Will this campaign share the government's actual prognoses for what will happen within a day of a no-deal Brexit?"
"This situation is worrying. The UK state is reverting to its default positions of centralisation and planning secrecy that are reminiscent of what William Beveridge called, after World War 1, top-down “food control”."
"Low-income groups in the UK would disproportionately be affected by the impacts of a no-deal Brexit on food prices and availability. November is at the end of the UK agricultural growing season, so the availability of domestic fresh produce will decline." #RemainVoter
"The main food bank organisers have informed the UK Government that their local groups do not have enough food, volunteer support, and storage capacity to deal with any uplift of need."
