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Fish and chips: traditional dish in danger?
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/ AP
The war of aggression against Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia have made many economic ties really obvious.
This is also the case with the British fish and chip shops.
Because, according to an industry association, they are suffering from massive difficulties because of the Ukraine war.
As the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) told the dpa news agency, many of the snack bars could soon be on the brink of extinction.
The background is that the availability of the four ingredients for the British national dish has suffered as a result of the Russian attack and its consequences.
So far, the fish and chip shops have obtained half of their
sunflower oil
from Russia or the Ukraine.
Flour
for the breading has also
been imported to a large extent from the Ukraine.
The prices for both have risen sharply since the beginning of the war.
Now the snack bar owners fear that they will also have to accept further losses as a result of the sanctions against Russia.
About 40 percent of the
fish
that end up on British plates or in cardboard boxes are caught by Russian trawlers.
Punitive tariffs, which are due to come into force soon, are likely to cause prices to skyrocket here as well.
And a massive increase in the price of Russian fertilizers could also increase the price of
potatoes
, the snack bar operators fear.
Government should cut taxes
All this comes on top of the massive increase in energy prices, said association boss Andrew Crook.
He is therefore calling on the government to lower the VAT rate for gastronomy again, as it was during the pandemic.
Currently, 20 percent VAT is due again on prepared food in Great Britain.
"Without change, many good employers will struggle to survive," Crook said.
He runs his own fish and chip shop.
He is currently not making any profit, said the entrepreneur.
mmq/dpa