THIRD of fish and chips stores could close if shortages of essential ingredients such as cod, haddock and sunflower oil are not addressed by ministers amid the war in Ukraine, warns the head of the industry
- The National Fishermen’s Federation (NFFF) says the conflict is hampering supplies
- Butter and fish ingredients must be returned to normal to prevent shops from closing
- Russia exports a lot of cod and haddock, while Ukraine produces sunflower oil
- NFFF President Andrew Crook warned that action was needed to address the shortage
By Charlotte McLaughlin About Mailonline
Posted: 01:29, 16 May 2022 | Updated: 01:40, 16 May 2022
One-third of fish and chips stores could close if shortages of essential ingredients such as cod, haddock and sunflower oil are not addressed by ministers, an industry chief warned.
The National Federation of Fish Fryers (NFFF) says that since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, producers of the great British dish have to close, raise prices or change their menus.
The United Kingdom is heavily dependent on seafood from Russia, a world leader in cod exports, as well as potato fertilizers used to make chips.
In 2020, the UK imported one third of all white fish into the UK at a cost of £ 200 million.
To this pressure, said the NFFF, is added sunflower oil – half of which comes from Ukraine – for which its supplies have also been cut off.
This has affected palm and rapeseed oil, which has also risen in price as it is more in demand, according to the Times.
The NFFF also warned that the government’s hopes of imposing sanctions on Russian whitefish would place greater emphasis on the “sad” situation.
One-third of fish and chips stores could close if shortages of essential ingredients such as cod, haddock and sunflower oil are not addressed by ministers, an industry chief warned.
Russia is one of the world’s largest producers of seafood and the fifth largest producer of wild-caught fish, according to a 2020 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
It is estimated to account for 45% of the world’s whitefish supply, mainly pollock, cod and haddock, according to the Guardian.
In March, the government said it would impose a 35% tariff on all imports of Russian white fish.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told the Guardian yesterday that this would continue “as a matter of further work on the specific consequences for the sector”.
But this has created a lot of concern in the industry.
James Lipscomb, who owns 40 fish and chips stores across the country, told Sky News: “I’ve never seen anything like it. I see much of the closure of fish and chips shops in the UK.
“Week after week, I see stores closing and it’s a really sad situation.”
Andrew Crook, president of the NFFF, said: “We need action [from ministers] before long-term damage can be caused that cannot be repaired.
“We are not looking for alms. We are a proud industry. But many businesses will go to the wall and we need a long-term strategy to guide us.
Russia, a world leader in cod exports and one of the world’s largest producers of seafood, has put enormous stress on the global fish market. Pictured: Leeds fish and chips shop after Leeds United vs Manchester City match
A government spokesman also said that they “will continue to talk to the branch body, the National Federation of Fryers for Fish and other representatives of the sector about the current pressure they are facing”.
Mr Crook told MailOnline in March that he feared the situation could look much worse in five years, and that it was having a “devastating” effect on the industry, where 60% of haddock and cod came from Russia.
He also said shops would be in a “really difficult situation” if there was an embargo on Russian fish exports.
He said: “White fish come from Russia because they are a very large fishing nation in the Barents Sea.
“So if we lose this, the price of fish will go up significantly, and that’s above the current record prices we see. If that happens, we are in a really difficult situation.
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