Could a no-deal Brexit lead to toilet roll shortages?

23rd of January 2019
Could a no-deal Brexit lead to toilet roll shortages?

Fears of a toilet roll shortage following a no-deal Brexit scenario have been raised by the Confederation of Paper Industries.

According to the confederation's director general Andrew Large: "If there is a no-deal Brexit and there are real problems of congestion at the ports, there will be problems with the supply of toilet paper along with an awful lot of other products that are heavily imported into the UK."

A similar concern was raised some months ago by former Labour MP and minister for Europe Denis MacShane. "The UK is the biggest importer of loo paper in Europe and it only stocks one day's worth of supply," he said. "If the trucks transporting toilet paper are held up at Calais or Dover, a delay of a day or more could see shops facing shortages."

Meanwhile, Sofidel's country operations team has been advised to stock up on pulp in preparation for a potential crisis according to BBC news sources.

Fears of a toilet paper shortage have emerged as Brexit "survival kits" containing essential food and household items go on sale in the UK at around €340.

However a government spokesperson said: "People don't need to stockpile food or household items. The UK has a strong level of food security built upon a diverse range of sources including strong domestic production and imports from third countries.

"This will continue to be the case whether we leave the EU with or without a deal."

 

 

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