Business and Farming Bosses Raise Concern about Supply as Christmas Approach

Escalating supply chain shortages are causing difficulties in the lead up to Christmas, with one agricultural industry leader saying challenges could last a year.

An ongoing global shipping crisis triggered by the pandemic, and worsened in the UK by Brexit-induced labour shortages, has disrupted supply chains and delayed deliveries. The latest development in the UK is a freight issue, with blockages at ports that receive goods on large container ships.

Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, has diverted some of its ships away from the UK and towards Europe because Felixstowe, the UK’s busiest containerised freight port, is full. 

Lars Mikael Jensen, head of the global ocean network at Maersk, told the Financial Times that the truck driver shortage has caused delays in getting containers out of ports and in bringing empty ones back.  

“We had to stop operations on a ship because there was nowhere to discharge the containers. Felixstowe is among the top two or three worst-hit terminals [globally],” he said. “We are having to deviate some of the bigger ships away from Felixstowe and relay some of the smaller ships for the cargo.”

The combined supply chain issues and truck driver shortages are causing problems in the retail and food industries, according to business owners and captains of industry.

Minette Batters, president of the National Farming Union, told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House programme: “We’re really looking at a 12-month challenge, I think. This is about Covid recovery, and Government working with us to make sure no-one goes short of food.”

Following a recent culling of pigs due to a shortage of abattoir workers and skilled butchers, Ms Batters warned that supply chain issues in the meat industry are going to continue. She said: “This isn’t over, this is going to keep going. These are living, breathing supply chains, you can’t just turn them off and turn them on.”

The issues have not only affected the food industry; retailers have also struggled.