The boss of M&S food has taken a swipe at “ridiculous” Brexit bureaucracy and expressed his support of the Prime Minister in creating closer ties to the EU.
Speaking to The Telegraph, the retailer’s food MD Alex Freudmann described the speed of food crossing the Irish Sea as “sloth like” and said “Brexit bureaucracy continues to add complexity and cost for retailers, and limits choice and value for customers”.
Freudmann reported that yesterday evening M&S trucks travelling to the Republic of Ireland, which were loaded the day prior, sat idle for 16 hours before being allowed to set off, and said the driver was given over 200 pages of paperwork to complete, which “demands detail as niche as the Latin name for the chicken that is used in our Chicken Tikka Masala”.
The boss also took aim at the cost and time Brexit has caused its European suppliers and the “ridiculous” ‘Not for EU’ labelling requirements on European goods destined for the UK stating: “There is no difference in food standards between the UK and the EU, so why do the rules pretend that there is?”
Freudmann backed the Prime Minister’s call for closer ties with the EU, and supported the Veterinary Agreement, which he said would “reduce the unnecessary bureaucracy involved in moving lasagne from London to Dublin, as well as importing chorizo from Spain.”
“We wholeheartedly support the Government’s plan to negotiate a Veterinary Agreement; the benefits would be significant, there is no discernible downside and we will offer whatever help we can to aid the negotiations,” he said.
“Five years on, it is time to put an end to the Brexit bureaucracy that burdens both UK and Irish businesses. My ask of the Government is to move with pace of action, not just words, at a time when the UK’s food businesses and farmers need all the help they can get.”
No comments yet