Supermarkets to airlift fruit and veg to UK to avoid stock shortages

Supermarket chains are concerned that the lifting of a French blockade that has left hundreds of lorries stranded outside Dover will not be enough to plug gaps in certain locations and product categories. 

One major grocer has already begun flying in produce from Spain and North Africa, according to The Guardian. Others are considering doing so in a bid to avert a potential supply crisis. 

Lufthansa planes flew 80 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, including lettuce, broccoli and citrus fruit, to Doncaster Sheffield Airport yesterday. The German airline is considering scheduling additional cargo flights to meet demand from the UK. 

It comes as retailers and suppliers race to find alternative ways of getting stock to Britain during the Christmas and New Year period.

In addition to the problems at Dover, disruption has also been caused at other ports such as Felixstowe by the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

As a result, cargo flight specialist Air Charter Services said it has received requests for 300 flights for fresh produce, which it would not usually carry.

Its business is already up more than 300% year on year as a result of transporting other goods such as pharmaceuticals, automotive parts, textiles and post.

Sainsbury’s warned earlier this week that there could be shortages of lettuce, some salad leaves, cauliflower, broccoli and citrus fruit in the coming days “if nothing changes” at Dover.

The British Retail Consortium’s director of food and sustainability Andrew Opie said: “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.”

There could yet be even further disruption for supermarket chains trying to airlift supplies into the UK after more than 840 workers at the British Airways (BA) cargo division voted in favour of strike action next week.

The staff are planning to walk out for a total of nine days from December 25, according to the Unite union, following BA’s decision to fire and rehire workers on new contractual terms.

BA has insisted that none of its staff would take more than a 10% pay cut, while half of cargo workers’ salaries would increase under the plans.

It said: “This planned industrial action by Unite helps no one and comes at a time when IAG Cargo is transporting critical supplies around the world and the aviation industry has been hit hard in 2020 by the global pandemic.”