A letter written to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which was leaked to the press, says
businesses are “totally focused on working to mitigate the catastrophic impact of a no-deal Brexit” and consultations relevant to the industry cannot carry on as planned, given the strain on the sector.
Some 32 trade body leaders signed the letter, including Kate Nicholls, chief executive officer of UKHospitality, and Ian Wright CBE, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation.
They said the sector does not have the resources to adequately address non-Brexit policy consultations and can’t recruit more staff.
Sign of bad faith
“If Government seeks to press ahead with these consultations, it will be seen by some as a sign of bad faith and many organisations may decline to respond,” sector leaders cautioned.
Signatories called for a publication delay of consultations into a deposit return scheme, proposals for a tax on plastic items with less than 30% recycled content and proposals to restrict advertising for sugary or high-fat foods.
Other consultations referenced included reviews into the supply chain such as into improving water management in the environment and the farming industry’s use of pesticides.
Nicholls told The Morning Advertiser: “Brexit is at the forefront of everything at the minute and it is continuing to cause a huge amount of uncertainty for businesses. It is inconceivable that businesses should be forced to think about anything else until, at the very least, we know what sort of Brexit we are facing.
“Issues like the deposit return scheme, a possible plastic tax, and restrictions on food and drink advertising are going to have far-reaching effects on pubs and bars. Ideally, we need to able to devote our full focus into getting to grips with these potential changes. We cannot do anything like that while we are putting all our energies into a Brexit that is getting no clearer.”
A no-deal Brexit was described as a “disastrous” prospect for the hospitality sector by Nicholls when MPs voted against Prime Minister Theresa May’s first offering of a withdrawal agreement last month.
Drinks manufacturers echoed this sentiment in a Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) report committee published last year.
