P&O Ferries chaos to cause shortages of fresh food products

Supply of fresh food products such as milk, chicken, fillets, sausages and beef, are likely to be impacted this weekend due to the suspension of P&O Ferries services, stated recent reports.

The firm – which transports around 15 percent of all UK freight – has temporarily cancelled its services between Dover and Calais, as well as routes from Hull to Rotterdam, Liverpool to Dublin, and Cairnryan to Larne, i stated, adding that it could take up to 10 days for its operations to return to normal following the chaos caused by its shock mass sacking of 800 staff.

The report further mentions that while most goods, including essential items such as medicine, could also be impacted, fresh food deliveries are likely to be affected first because of the frequency at which they need to be shipped.

P&O Ferries is understood to account for around half of the freight ferry services between Northern Ireland and Scotland, but its Cairnryan to Larne service is currently suspended.

P&O Ferries has confirmed it will bring in agency workers but that services will be suspended for a week to 10 days, reports said.

The news comes a couple of days after Maritime minister Robert Courts said on Thursday (17) that he did not expect the supply of critical goods and services to be impacted as a result of the firm’s decision.

Rod McKenzie, managing director of policy and public affairs at the Road Haulage Association, said “any disruption to trade is unhelpful”.

“Clearly there are other alternative ferries that people can take but it’s enormously inconvenient and if you had your post-Brexit paperwork done for a trip between Hull and Zeebrugge and you’re having to divert to Dover, it won’t be correct.”

“Everything we get in Britain comes on the back of a lorry, so if those lorries are using P&O Ferries [the impact on goods] is as wide as it’s broad,” he said.

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, meanwhile has assured that retailers are working with other ferry companies to ensure disruption to P&O ferry services does not interfere with the movement of fresh food between GB, NI and EU.

“Nonetheless, a prolonged interruption to P&O services, who are an important part of UK supply chains, could eventually impact the flow of goods,” Opie said, urging the ferry company and union “to find a speedy resolution to the current issues”.