EU vs. Großbritannien: Brexit und Folgen

[Schneemann]

Das liest sich aber nun wenig hilfreich - unter dem Motto "Ich kenne da jemanden, mit dem ich mal gesprochen habe...!" kann ich sicherlich auch sehr viele Leute finden, die mir unverblümt erklären, dass die Erde eine Scheibe ist. Zudem klemmt es mittlerweile an derart vielen Ecken - vom Sprit über Tannenbäume bis zu Schweinefleisch -, dass es arg mutig wäre, hier als Ursache alleine Corona zu benennen.

Und die aktuellen Meldungen widersprechen dem auch:

Shortage problem: What's the UK running low on and why?

Here's a list of some of the worst shortages and the reasons for them. [...]

Cars and petrol

Let's start with one that has an easy explanation. Global vehicle production has been hit by a shortage of microchips. [...] But during the coronavirus pandemic, carmakers shut down, so microchip manufacturers diverted the chips that would normally go into those cars to the consumer electronics market. With fewer new cars for sale, sought-after second-hand motors have shot up in price. And car industry figures say the supply crisis is unlikely to end soon. [...] As for petrol, the government has been keen to stress that there never was an actual shortage of petrol in the UK - there were just problems with getting it from the refineries to the petrol stations. Those were caused by a shortage of heavy goods drivers to make deliveries, with the coronavirus pandemic, Brexit and tax changes all contributing to a lack of qualified drivers. Industry bodies estimate there is a shortfall of about 100,000. [...]

Toys and tech

In the run-up to Christmas, there is always a mad rush by parents to secure the latest must-have toy for their offspring. But this year, the hunt is likely to be even more frustrating, especially for kit that involves cutting-edge technology. [...] One of the UK's biggest toy retailers, The Entertainer, is warning that delays at UK ports will result in shortages this Christmas, because it will be harder to get stock to the right places at the right time. [...]

Turkeys and trees

The poultry trade is also hard hit by the labour shortage, with the British Poultry Council estimating there are nearly 7,000 vacancies across the sector. Farmers are warning of a Christmas turkey shortage because visa changes to allow labour recruitment from abroad have come too late. And the "perfect storm" of labour shortages, shipping costs and post-Brexit labour regulations could also lead to a scarcity of Christmas trees this year. [...] According to the British Christmas Tree Growers Association, between eight and 10 million real trees are sold in the UK each year. But between one million and three million of those are imported from elsewhere in Europe. [...]

Chocolates and milk

The UK's shortage of lorry drivers means that supermarkets are getting fewer deliveries of everything than they used to, so when they sell out of a particular product, it now takes longer for them to fill that gap on the shelf. That includes chocolate and other confectionery. [...] Nestle, which makes Quality Street as well as Aero and KitKat, has said it is experiencing some supply chain problems - again caused by the UK's shortage of HGV lorry drivers and global shipping issues. The Swiss-based multinational is the world's largest producer of dairy products, but it's not the only firm in its sector that has been hit. Dairy giant Arla, which supplies milk to all major UK supermarkets, has been forced to cut back on its deliveries by the lack of lorry drivers. The firm has been experiencing driver shortages since early April and there is no end in sight to the problem. It normally delivers to 2,400 stores a day, but now cannot deliver to all of them every day. [...]

Meat

Since the UK's departure from the European Union, the food sector, like many others, has been struggling to cope with a loss of workers after many eastern Europeans went home. Pig farmers have been particularly badly affected - they say they are worried they will not be able to sell their animals this year, because of staff shortages in abattoirs. Farmers have told the BBC they have slaughter-ready pigs waiting to be sent to butchers. However, a lack of trained staff to turn the pigs into food for customers means some risk being killed and sent to landfill instead. And not only is there a problem with pork supply, but the production of pigs in blankets - cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon - is suffering from a lack of seasonal EU labour. [...] A BMPA spokesperson told the BBC that labour shortages were "perennial", but added: "Since Brexit and following the pandemic, the problem has become much worse." [...]

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58721085

Schneemann