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Empty shelves in a Sainsbury's market in London on Tuesday
Photo:
FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
Older Berliners still know the airlift.
Those months of 1948/49 when the western sectors of the city had to be supplied by air.
The people in Great Britain, which was isolated from the European Union for days because of the corona mutation, may have experienced at least a small impression of this.
A cargo plane is also used: not a raisin bomber, but a Boeing 777 from Lufthansa, packed with fresh fruit and vegetables that have become in short supply there within a few days.
In order to fill the shelves in British supermarkets with lettuce or cauliflower before Christmas, she started with 80 tons of fruit and vegetables on board for the United Kingdom.
Destination: Doncaster Sheffield Airport in Central England.
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Lufthansa Boeing 777: fruit and vegetables for Great Britain
Photo: Oliver Roesler / dpa
The previous flow of goods between the EU and Great Britain largely came to a standstill after France closed the border because of a particularly contagious corona mutation that occurred in Great Britain.
Many haulage companies canceled their tours completely, and before the Brexit deadline on December 31st there was a sudden threat of supply bottlenecks.
For those who are already there, nothing works for days.
Read more here: Worse than Brexit
Thousands of truck drivers are stuck in south-east England, even with perishable goods.
Meanwhile, truckers with a negative corona test should be allowed to pass again, but for many things are still not progressing.
In view of this, Lufthansa is already preparing for further flights.
"Lufthansa Cargo is currently examining whether further additional cargo flights can be offered in the next few days," it said.
A regular flight could possibly also be used.
"This could be with a freighter, but we are also checking whether we can only use passenger aircraft for cargo flights."
In this situation, if the Brexit talks fail once and for all, the British face even greater problems.
The country is now wondering: How dependent is the UK on food from the European Union?
The British themselves have answered this question for themselves at the supermarket checkout these days - and are stocking up for bad times.
The retail giant Tesco has already been forced to ration toilet paper, eggs, rice and soap because of the hamster buyers.
more on the subject
Traffic jam after corona lockdown: Hundreds of German truckers are stuck in southern England
Icon: Spiegel Plus Stopped deliveries to Great Britain: Worse than Brexit By Claus Hecking and Alexander Preker
Corona isolation of Great Britain: Ifo boss Fuest criticizes "symbolic effect of isolation"
Impending supply bottlenecks: British retail giant Tesco is rationing important everyday products
Trade associations warn that some fresh products could become scarce in British supermarkets after Christmas at the latest.
Around a third of all food consumed in Great Britain comes from the EU, the broadcaster BBC determined, citing the trade association BRC.
Almost half of all fresh vegetables and most of the fruit are imported, especially in winter, when there is little growth in Great Britain itself, they are dependent on imports.
So it is good news for Great Britain that a trade pact with the EU is at least within reach, according to information from London.
It is possible that an agreement could even be reached on Wednesday evening, according to British government circles.
The dispute about fair competition should be resolved and the second sticking point, fishing, is apparently very close.
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apr / dpa
