Huge shopping queues form as supermarkets airlift in European supplies

Huge queues formed this morning as supermarkets airlifted in fruit and vegetables in an attempt to avoid shortages of fresh produce caused by the chaos at Dover.

The British Retail Consortium has warned that there could be a lack of some fresh goods until the backlog of trucks is cleared, while the Food and Drink Federation is warning of ‘significant disruption’.

Meanwhile, the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps suggested the border mayhem could last up to the New Year as the Army and NHS rush to test every driver in a queue of up to 6,000 lorries.

The requirement to test all drivers heading to Europe – a key condition of France agreeing to restart trade – is delaying the speed at which lorries can restock on the Continent before returning to Britain.

German airline Lufthansa yesterday flew in 80 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables into the UK for Tesco, Sainsbury’s, the Co-op and Aldi as thousands of hauliers remained stranded at the Kent border.

The airlift, which included lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, citrus fruits, and strawberries, came as Tesco began rationing several items and experts warned the border reopening was not soon enough to prevent shortages.

The Lufthansa airlift was commissioned by Venus, an Egyptian fruit supplier that is used by UK supermarkets. It landed at Doncaster Sheffield Airport just before 2pm yesterday, Lufthansa told MailOnline. 

Food and Drink Federation CEO Ian Wright told The Grocer: ‘News of an agreement to allow hauliers with a negative Covid test to enter France is very welcome progress.’

But he added: ‘Even working extremely quickly and with Calais possibly shut for Christmas Day, it is clear it could take until the new year to return to normal operations. Lorries will take time to return to their normal pattern of collection and delivery.

‘That means we are likely to see, locally, reduced on-shelf availability of some fresh vegetables and fruits, beginning next week. We will also see potential significant disruption to the flow of ingredients into the UK.’ 

MailOnline has contacted all the major supermarkets to ask if they had also put new restrictions in place.

Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons and Aldi all said no, while Waitrose said had been restricting customers to two packs of toilet roll and three bags of flour for ‘a substantial period of time’. Lidl is yet to reply.

All supermarkets said they had plenty of stock.

Tesco maintains in-store limits on flour, dried pasta, toilet roll, baby wipes and anti-bacterial wipes are due to coronavirus panic buying – not concerns about the impending Brexit deadline or problems at Dover.

There are concerns over shortages of fresh goods amid the backlog at Dover.

British Retail Consortium director of food Andrew Opie said: ‘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.

‘Until the backlog is cleared and supply chains return to normal, we anticipate issues with the availability of some fresh goods.’

All the ingredients and produce needed for a traditional Christmas dinner are already in the country and available to consumers, the BRC said.

But if empty lorries are not allowed into France to restock, there will be shortages of fresh produce, with supplies of salad, vegetables and fresh fruit such as strawberries and raspberries most at risk as they are typically imported from the continent at this time of year.

It came as dozens of truckers trying to reach their homes on the Continent tried to force their way past officers guarding the port of Dover.

Yesterday, hundreds left their cabs and walked along the A20 to the port entrance in Kent at 8am jeering and whistling, with some shouting in English: ‘Open the border’, ‘We just want to go home’ and ‘F*** you, Boris!’

At one point several of them surged forwards towards a line of Kent Police officers who were forced to push them back as days of simmering anger at the chaotic situation amid the Covid-19 pandemic bubbled to the surface. Some drivers showed police apparently negative results, but an officer said a lot of them were ‘fake test sheets’.

Tensions also boiled over 18 miles away at Manston Airport, where truckers whose lorries are being held staged a protest, broke down fences and blocked roads.

The Army and NHS staff are working together to administer Covid-19 tests at the airport, which are handed to drivers in their cabs to be self-administered under supervision.

The result will then be communicated to the driver via text or email, identifying them via their numberplate.

Two more test sites were yesterday being set up at the Dreamland amusement park in Margate and at the entrance to the Port of Dover, but the junction was blocked by vans and cars with some even parked in the wrong direction.

Earlier this month it was revealed Tesco was stockpiling in the event of a No Deal Brexit.

John Allan, the chairman of Tesco, believes the average shopping bill could go up five per cent and also claimed French cheeses like brie could be 40 per cent more expensive if there is no EU trade deal.

But critics have said there is plenty of British brie to eat and the UK is already importing 20 per cent less cheese from abroad every year.

Mr Allan, who joined the supermarket last year, said: ‘Tesco is getting ready for the worst case which is a No Deal, trying to ensure as much as we can that we stockpile long life products either in our warehouses or with our suppliers.

‘We are trying to minimise the risk of food being caught in what is probably going to be the most difficult place, which is the port of Dover.

‘We may have some shortages of fresh foods, particularly short life fresh foods. I think that will only be for a limited period, a month or two before we get back to normal.

‘There might just be slightly restricted choice for a period of time’.