If freight isn't allowed in from France

[justgeton]

What does this mean for our food chain?!

It isn't just France, it's also Ireland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands.

It isn't related to Brexit, it is related to a new strain of Covid, which the UK government turned a blind eye to for weeks and weeks because it didn't want to anger party donors in the commercial sector by closing down the economy.

It just happens to be what would have happened in a no-deal Brexit, so it's just happened a few days early from that point of view.

It’s proper scary when people are saying it’s ok we can get people to do plane drops if things get really bad 😕

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

France is trying to protect its peoples, that's all

There is no way that strain is only here, in the UK.

Yep, this

It isn't related to Brexit, it is related to a new strain of Covid, which the UK government turned a blind eye to for weeks and weeks because it didn't want to anger party donors in the commercial sector by closing down the economy.

If only the worst part of shutting down the economy was angering the party donors.....

This new strain must be a fucker if they’re all shutting up the borders to us. Makes you think....

On the plus side at least it’s a dummy run for No deal Brexit

Honestly? It's going to be a no deal situation from January anyway, as today was the deadline for submission of an agreement to European (and British) Parliaments. Whilst our MPs don't always bother to read bills before passing them (notably the ERG and the Withdrawal Bill), the EP does. We may be able to negotiate something next month, but it's going to be messy in the meantime.

I agree, this is political but I suspect it's more about domestic politics for France, Belgium, Ireland, etc. If the boot were on the other foot and Paris had a new strain, everyone here would be screaming to close the borders, too.

Brexit barely occupied ten minutes at the last European Council meeting. They may want a Deal but they are prepared for No-Deal as well.

Finally...the Government has already stated, back in the summer, that they will not accept responsibility for food supply. We are on our own.

frumpety No, containers shouldn't be affected by this (except the ones that come on on the back of trucks)- it's effectively the lorry drivers that are banned from travelling, not the freight. But I think nearly all of our imported perishable food comes in on trucks.

evilpea They already load some unaccompanied trailers onto ferries, but I don't know how many more they could manage just like that. Containers- not on lorries- can't be loaded onto ro-ro* ferries.

*roll on roll off. Your standard car ferry.

Well I hope you all have your Brexit stockpiles...

The cynic in me says it's an opportunity for a negotiation tactic over Brexit. The French give the British public a taste of what No Deal will be like and a weak and panicked government thrash out a deal before the end of next week Certainly from the French perspective, yes. Not so much for the Dutch, who also have a mutant strain and have had flights from NL cancelled by Morocco and Turkey.

I agree it's in continental Europe. It's been around for months, and most prevalent in Kent. Also we and the Danes are best at sequencing, so it's a bit unlikely that it's only in the country that finds it.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

France is trying to protect its peoples, that's all

There is no way that strain is only here, in the UK.

Exactly. Where did the strain come from? Europe aren't doing very well re Covid at the moment and it's quite possible it came over on a dingy, or otherwise, from Europe. Macron is an arse and I doubt France's people are high up in his priorities.

Our new super-Covid just makes all the zombies run faster.

Adds throwing axes and flamethrower to Amazon wish list .....

People would be asking for our borders to be closed if a more infectious form of the virus was found abroad.

And I am sure the French press would be demanding that they seal the borders with the UK.

Ninbus, that was me thinking out loud, please, please do not take that as an indication as to how scary it is... It's deeply worrying but re plane drops, I just mean there are other ways and means to get essentials in.

Lets' see if I've undertsood some pp line of thought:

1. British PM goes on TV Saturday and to all intents and purposes says cases in the SE UK are going through the roof, special strain of virus....

2.UK Heath Secretary goes on TV this AM and pretty much says " Virus out of control".

1. Most if not all nations have representatives in London with an ear to the ground, many senior foreign politicians can speak English and keep half an eye on World News..which includes coverage of 1 and 2..

4. EU politicians (our neighbours) go: "WTF is going on in the UK? Do we need what the British would call a "circuit breaker" on travel from the UK whilst we assess what is going on with this out break that Monsieur Hancock is saying out of control"?

5. The Netherlands, who often used to be our best mates in the EU starts the pulling of the breakers by stopping flights

6. Various EU sovereign states (e.g; Italy, Belgium, France) and non EU sovereign states (e.g; Israel) then start restricting travel from the UK.

7. OTOH France doesn't stop freight or any traffic travelling to the UK but drivers not resident in the UK, on their travels etc start getting the jitters about crossing the Channel and getting stuck in the UK..

1. Despite points 1-7 It's clearly a plot by Mr Macron and the French nations fault/the EU plot to subvert Brexit...is that it?

frumpety No, containers shouldn't be affected by this (except the ones that come on on the back of trucks)- it's effectively the lorry drivers that are banned from travelling, not the freight. But I think nearly all of our imported perishable food comes in on trucks.

Bugger !

If we're doing mad conspiracy theories....
This is great for Boris as when the shit hits the fan in January he can blame Covid not Brexit. Maybe that's why he's let the new strain run rampant in schools for the last month instead of enforcing an actual lockdown like so many other (UK and EU) governments...

Also now Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic, El Salvador, Romania and Bulgaria, plus soon to also include Sweden.

But 2 days ago, a 5-day virus free-for-all with 3 household mixing all over the UK, totally fine by our government, even though they fully knew about the new strain then. Plus notice we aren't taking any responsibility by stopping flights out of the UK. It is all on the rest of the world to stop us exporting our new virus strain to them.

From what I can gather this new strain can’t be contained. The r number is too high with even a full lockdown it will spread exponentially so this is why the other countries are all scared

UK government: "We are sorry London. We have a mutant virus so christmas is cancelled and you aren't allowed to travel anywhere
EU: "What the actual fuck?! Quick close the border"
UK government: "Oh errrr we weren't talking to you. We didn't mean stopping that movement. Bastards."
EU: "Er mutant virus?"

@BlackForestCake

If only someone had warned us four years ago that our food supply chain depends on fast and unbureaucratic movement of goods across the Channel! WHY DID NOBODY TELL US???

Quite

I feel like we are living some surreal fantasy disaster movie.
I will be off to Tesco's first thing, will buy whatever is left on the shelves and lay low for a few weeks till it's all over/or I get the jab. Whichever comes first.

It’s just brought forward No Deal consequences which is what Leavers have been hankering for.
Where’s the Blitz spirit 😂

@notimagain

Lets' see if I've undertsood some pp line of thought:

1. British PM goes on TV Saturday and to all intents and purposes says cases in the SE UK are going through the roof, special strain of virus....

2.UK Heath Secretary goes on TV this AM and pretty much says " Virus out of control".

1. Most if not all nations have representatives in London with an ear to the ground, many senior foreign politicians can speak English and keep half an eye on World News..which includes coverage of 1 and 2..

4. EU politicians (our neighbours) go: "WTF is going on in the UK? Do we need what the British would call a "circuit breaker" on travel from the UK whilst we assess what is going on with this out break that Monsieur Hancock is saying out of control"?

5. The Netherlands, who often used to be our best mates in the EU starts the pulling of the breakers by stopping flights

6. Various EU sovereign states (e.g; Italy, Belgium, France) and non EU sovereign states (e.g; Israel) then start restricting travel from the UK.

7. OTOH France doesn't stop freight or any traffic travelling to the UK but drivers not resident in the UK, on their travels etc start getting the jitters about crossing the Channel and getting stuck in the UK..

1. Despite points 1-7 It's clearly a plot by Mr Macron and the French nations fault/the EU plot to subvert Brexit...is that it?

You made it too complicated for them and that is a lot of reading

I find it suspicious that after managing the crisis well, all of a sudden Germany has cases going out of control, I know its colder there and the virus loves the cold but

Yes the new strain would explain why countries who have handled it well are now suffering too.

@RedToothBrush

UK government: "We are sorry London. We have a mutant virus so christmas is cancelled and you aren't allowed to travel anywhere EU: "What the actual fuck?! Quick close the border" UK government: "Oh errrr we weren't talking to you. We didn't mean stopping that movement. Bastards." EU: "Er mutant virus?"

The UK: what about freedom of movement, freedom of trade, free movement of goods? Oh yeah, we voted against all that and were going to stop all that anti-sovereign crap on 31 December anyway....

It is all on the rest of the world to stop us exporting our new virus strain to them

Yeah right. It's most prevalent in Kent, but it's only here? Look at a map please.