Volcanic cloud hits UK food imports

Food imports are being hampered by the cloud of volcanic ash which has grounded flights over Europe.

Fresh fruit and vegetables from Africa and further afield are being destroyed because they cannot be flown to the UK.

Consumers as well as holidaymakers are being affected by the ongoing ban on flights, said Christopher Snelling, of the Freight Transport Association.

“With imports of some fruit and vegetables grounded, certain fresh produce, such as exotic fruits and fresh flowers, are starting to become noticeable by their absence from our supermarket shelves.

“Even if British airspace opened up immediately, it would take a fortnight to clear the backlog of air freight destined for the UK, so we already face an unprecedented logistical challenge.

“Of course, for fresh produce, this could simply be too long a wait and some will simply have to be destroyed.”

Producers in Africa were particularly badly hit, said Mr Snelling, the FTA’s head of global food chain policy.

In some areas of the continent, 90% of fruit, flowers and vegetable exports to Europe were delivered by air.

“With over 1m African farmers reliant on the UK consumption of their fruit and vegetables, UK holidaymakers are not the only ones watching the skies.”

The volume of goods transported by air was relatively small, Mr Snelling acknowledged, but the value of those goods was high.

Products with a short shelf life – such as green beans and fish – relied on air freight services as the only viable means of transport.

Farm leaders said grounding of aircraft due to volcanic ash was a reminder of the danger of depending too much on food imports.

Douglas Chalmers, of the Country Land and Business Association, said it was clear that perishable foodstuffs were simply not reaching the UK.

“Missing the odd Alphonso mango may not constitute a crisis, but the situation does illustrate how much we take for granted.

“There is always readily available and cheap food on supermarket shelves, as well as clean water and energy at the turn of a tap or flick of a switch.”

The situation was a reminder of how important it was to maintain a viable UK agricultural industry, with a clear remit to produce food for the nation.

“With health and education taking the electoral headlines, we mustn’t lose sight of the importance of safeguarding our food,” said Mr Chalmers.