Time for a Update:
UK transition periode ended 31st december 2020.
So its been out of the EU, 8months or so, so I figur its time for a update and a look at how things are going so far.
Food Shortages:
People know the UK imports (their numbers) abit over 50% of its food stuff, from around the world (mainly europe).
What most probably dont know, is that if you make something eddible in the UK, even if all the ingredients are sourced from say EU, they count it as made in the UK. This means in reality food imports are over 80%. Basically UK only produce enough food to feed 2/10 Brits, and the other 8/10th's are gotten from trade.
Brexit happend, and suddenly theres paperwork, trucks dont carry loads both ways (half as effecient, requires more trucks), and something like 20,000 EU truck drivers left.
Ontop of that, there was Covid19, and lockdowns, and the UK couldnt train new truck drivers for a year or more, and with the ageing truckdrivers retireing, the need grew ever larger. Its estimated the UK needs roughly 110,000 truck drivers (HGV drivers). Once they get them, you should stop seeing shortages in stores.
However the UK isnt putting in solutions forwards, for "here and now" fix's to it.
They plan on increaseing the work hours of truck drivers (comes at the cost of safety, on roads), and education/training shorting of drivers (less checked/skilled drivers).
They said this should "fix itself" over a 2year periode, as more HGV drivers are certified. So food shortages may last a year or two more, until it goes away.
Dont believe it? Go on twitter and search for the #BrexitFoodShortages
(daily pics from local supermarkets in the UK, taken by people at their stores, when they notice it, will pop up)
Experts say its going to get worse, before it gets better.
(ei. its not hit rock bottom yet, and started to level out, worse is yet to come)
Fun stuff:
September 2019: "there will be no shortages of fresh food" (after brexit) - Michael Gove
September 2021: Michael Gove is put in charge of fixing the food supply chain broken by Brexit.
Imports and Exports to Europe (July 2020 - July 2021 ):
Eurostat numbers: Exports from UK to EU, fell by 17,1%. Imports to UK from EU, grew by 6,2%.
UK is offputting its "take back controll" slogan, and leaveing its boarders open to goods from EU without any checks (they dont want to make food shortages worse). The same is not true the otherway around. EU is controlling its borders, and doing checks ect, required to protect the single market.
The result, is EU companys are tradeing on a advatage into the UK market, while the same isnt true the otherway around, hurting UK based companies (and UK missing out on tax).
Source(proof) = https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/11563275/6-16092021-AP-EN.pdf/f2d5fabe-4988-ecd5-61d3-45fd2497acff
Gas/Elecrisity Prices go up:
2 things happend:
1) UK left the "EU's internal energy market" (it helps, keep prices down, avoid tarifs (on elecrisity/gas) ect)
2) A pipe/cable caught fire.
Why does this matter?
UK imports 5-10% of its electrisity from the EU, and 35-40% of its gas from the EU.
Over 50% of the UKs production of electristy is dependent on gas.
Shortage of it = harder to produce electrisity. Prices go up on gas, it effects electristy prices.
Now theres a periode of high demand for gas, globally, so prices have gone up abit, everywhere.
However remember that pipeline/kable I mention, that caught fire? its one of the reasons its worse in the UK.
It passes through France and goes to the Uk. The UK just royally p*ssed off the french, by backstabbing them, in a defense alliance with australia.
(those contracts for submerines, which is a smaller part, than the fact that 3 members sidelined a 4th member in a defense allience for years plotting byhinde its back)
So gas/electristy prices are high, and likely to stay that way in the UK for the forseeable future.
How bad can that be (how high are those prices)?
Well apparently the euro/MWh is roughly 3 times as high in the UK, as in most european countries atm.
Gas supply issues (CO2) (packageing meats/killing the animals)
Apparently, its a by-product, usually gotten from makeing fertilizer.
However, if your lacking chemicals, or demand/production of it is low, it effects how much CO2 you end up with.
With fruit/veg left to rot in fields, because of lack of workers to pick it..... farmers are not planning to seed as much for next year.
And they wont require as much fertilizer, and thus production is down.
Why does this matter?
Well apparently its used in all manner of things, from hospitals and surgeries, to packageing with chicken/pork, even to kill smaller animals.
So supermarkets might have less chicken/pork, if they dont have CO2, for the parketing part (as I understand it).
Now, theres already been issues with big producers of Turkey's in the UK, saying "Christmas is cancelled!"
(implying there wont be many turkey's come christmas in the UK):
Imagine come december you walk into a super market, and theres no turkey, no pork, no chicken, and barely any fresh fruit & vegs.?
(ontop of all the other stuff, running out)
Summery:
Inflation 3.2%+
Food prices gone up (alot of empty shelves).
Fuel prices gone up.
Gas(heating) and electrisity prices gone up.
Lack of fruit/veg pickers (from europe workers) ment it's left to rot in fields, in the UK.
Lack of butcher's (from european workers), means so far more than 100,000 pigs are heading for distruction (burning).
Lack of Lorry drivers (HGV).
Boris raised tax's by 1.25% to pay for NHS.
