UK’s fresh food supply at risk until Dover truck backlog cleared – retail industry

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s retail industry lobby group warned on Wednesday that until a backlog of trucks at the port of Dover is cleared and supply chains return to normal there could be issues with the availability of some fresh goods.

A partial blockade by France designed to stop the spread of a new highly infectious coronavirus variant has left thousands of trucks stranded in Dover before Christmas.

“It is good news for consumers as the French borders have now reopened, however it is essential that lorries get moving across the border as quickly as possible,” said Andrew Opie, director of food & sustainability at the British Retail Consortium.

“Until the backlog is cleared and supply chains return to normal, we anticipate issues with the availability of some fresh goods,” he said.