Dover, UK: Temperature-controlled operators have called for priority treatment at Dover in the face of long queues to cross into Europe but a minister has ruled it out.
Bad weather, Easter holiday traffic and P&O Ferries routes suspended have all led to congestion around the UK’s busiest port. P&O expects to return Dover Calais sailings to near normal next week if it gets regulator approval.
The British Meat Processors Association says some members are waiting 24 hours or more to cross at Dover. Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association, said the delays meant that the UK was losing business, as customers were turning to other countries to source goods at a time when their members’ products were in hot demand.
“We are told to expect disruption well into next week. With Easter weekend approaching and a very busy time for exporting fresh meat, this is really bad timing.”
Many in the industry argue that hauliers carrying fresh produce should be prioritised for boarding, as has happened before.
However, introducing a prioritisation system to help perishable goods get through long queues at Dover is not a realistic option, the environment secretary George Eustice says.
He told BBC Breakfast such a system would be difficult to stand up at short notice and on a large scale. Eustice said: “I don’t think it’s a realistic option at such short notice.”
He said the government had looked at this option previously, particularly for perishable fish, in the context of a possible no-deal Brexit.
But he added: “You need a way of identifying the lorries… and then escort them past other traffic to get on to the ferry and it’s quite a complicated thing to pull off actually and quite difficult to do on that scale.”
The Department for Transport said the traffic management measures were regularly reviewed but did not say whether any changes would be made with regard to the transport of perishable items.
It said: “P&O’s unacceptable actions have resulted in its vessels being detained, causing backlogs and traffic jams which would be substantially alleviated if its fleet was operating normally. We are receiving real-time updates as the Kent Resilience Forum, police and regional leaders work around-the-clock to ease disruption and support those affected.”
Shane Brennan, chief executive, Cold Chain Federation, said the poor conditions caused by Operation Brock were fanning the flames of driver shortages, in an already overstretched industry.
“The UK is getting a growing reputation for being a hassle to serve, and that creates problems for my members who can’t find the hauliers to take their business because they don’t want to take the risk of sitting in traffic on the M20.”
Part of the frustration is that hauliers feel like tourist traffic in Dover is being prioritised over freight traffic.
