French and British authorities are being urged to give priority to lorries containing fresh produce that are trying to reach the European continent while they try to deal with the fallout from striking workers and the escalating migrant crisis in the French port town of Calais.
Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel, has blocked 37,000 migrants trying to make their way to the United Kingdom through the tunnel since the beginning of the year. Over the past month, thousands of lorries bound for Europe have sat dormant on the motorway that leads to the U.K. ferry port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel that links France and England, their journeys slowed because of the disruption to freight services to Calais.
Many of their loads, predominantly time sensitive fresh food, have had to be destroyed.
“Scottish businesses, particularly the food sector, are being hard hit by the ongoing delays at the Channel Tunnel. Concerns have been raised with us, particularly by the fish processing sector, and the Scottish Government has mobilized our resilience team to monitor the situation, investigate what practical steps can be taken to support those affected and, of course, resolve the situation for Scottish producers,” said John Swinney, Scotland’s deputy first minister.
“The reality is that this is a complex situation which requires a multi-agency response involving both U.K. and French authorities. As well as addressing the immediate issue around getting vehicles and exports moving again, we also need a long-term strategy which responds to the human and humanitarian issue around migration.
“Scottish businesses cannot continue to lose money and orders and we have already asked the U.K. government to prioritize exports of perishable fresh produce and I once again call on them to deliver a system which does just that – the Scottish government stands ready to help in any way that we can,” said Swinney.
Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead has been meeting with stakeholders this week to consider what else can be done to help limit the impact on the country’s economy.
“Scottish seafood is the U.K.’s biggest food export, a quality product that is in demand in markets around the world, with many of our producers exporting to the continent and beyond. The impact the delays at the Channel Tunnel continue to have on their businesses with orders being cancelled and produce being affected is very concerning,” said Lochhead.
“We are liaising closely with the sector and doing what we can to help. However, we really need the U.K. government to step up efforts to find a resolution and do more to help the Scottish industry.”
