First the truck drivers disappeared, then the eggs, and now the tomatoes. And while Germany only temporarily ran out of pasta or toilet paper during the pandemic, flaws ceased to be rare in Great BritainThis is reported by Deutsche Welle in its publication. Recently, they have appeared on many vegetable counters. UK supermarkets have signs saying “three per customer”. Experts are already speculating what will happen next. products which will show the flaws. In the fall of 2021, gas stations in Britain temporarily ran out of gas. A year later, eggs and Christmas turkeys were in short supply. In addition, there is a shortage of labor on all fronts, especially in the service and catering sectors. So now there are not enough vegetables – and not for the first time. When the Brexit rules came into effect, the shelves were empty again.

Supermarket shelves are empty of vegetables, fearing problems with supplies and other products.

The reasons for the shortage are different. Gasoline was in short supply at the time, mainly because after Brexit and the pandemic, there were not enough truck drivers to transport fuel. Avian flu and many animal deaths have contributed to eggs and turkeys, while vegetable shortages have been linked to poor harvests due to adverse weather conditions, DW reports. “Brexit is making things worse,” Ulrich Hoppe, head of the German-British Chamber of Commerce (AHK) in London, told dpa. “Exporting to the UK,” he notes, “has become more difficult and expensive, and when demand exceeds supply, priority is given to other countries.” With regard to the shortage of skilled labor, barriers to foreign workers have become more severe due to the visa regime. The British Retail Association estimates, for example, that olive oil shortages are likely due to poor harvests in growing regions, while economist Andrew Lee, professor at Baden-Württemberg, also believes that imported cheeses are endangered.

As extreme weather events are expected to intensify, the impact on supply chains will hit Britain harder than the EU, Lee said. “Perhaps then the UK will be able to sell more cheddar, but it is doubtful that this will be able to compensate for the lack of cheese imports from the EU. “Whether consumers will want to eat only British cheese is another matter entirely.” Finally, the National Farmers Union also expects shortages of tomatoes and cucumbers to continue as the harvest of domestic varieties has also been declining over the years. For these products, farmers expect the 2022 season to be the lowest on record in 40 years. The trend is similar for pears and peppers.