M&S Food boss slams ‘painfully slow’ post-Brexit trade with Ireland
M&S Food managing director Alex Freudmann has criticised the "painfully slow" movement of goods across the Irish Sea, five years on from Brexit.
M&S Food managing director Alex Freudmann has criticised the “painfully slow” movement of goods across the Irish Sea, five years on from Brexit.
In a post shared ahead of upcoming cross-border deliveries, Freudmann revealed that shipments to Ireland are now routinely delayed by Brexit-related red tape.
He highlighted how a single lorry now requires more than 200 documents — including obscure details such as the Latin name of a chicken used in a sandwich.
“Tonight our trucks travelling to the Republic of Ireland were loaded yesterday and sat idle for 16 hours before the driver set off, now armed with over 200 pieces of paper,” said Freudmann.
Despite M&S operating 39 stores and employing over 4,000 staff across Ireland and Northern Ireland, the retailer says it continues to face major disruption, with certain products — including sausages and specific sandwiches — no longer permitted to travel from the UK.
Freudmann also criticised the requirement for thousands of Export Health Certificates, which must be signed by vets. This measure, he said, is costing the business around £1m annually and contributing to food waste and product shortages.
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Calling for “the pace of actions, not just words”, Freudmann urged the UK government to agree a Veterinary deal with the EU to cut the “bureaucracy and cost” hampering trade.
“At M&S we have the highest standards in the industry for our food but the Brexit rules – constructed to deal with cross-sea container ships carrying long-life or frozen food – pay that no attention.
“They weren’t designed for modern supermarkets shipping thousands of individual products a relatively short distance across the Irish sea every day. Plus they were developed in a pre-digital era; relying on paper documents and physical checks and inspections.
“Today, almost everybody working in our depots is under the age of 50 and has grown up with computers. New starters at our depots look at us with bewilderment on day one when we have to ask them to pick up a pen and piece of paper to do the job.”
Posting on LinkedIn, Freudmann labelled the situation as “pointless bureaucracy” and reiterated his support for a government-led Veterinary agreement with the EU — which he said could significantly reduce the “unnecessary” administrative hurdles slowing the Irish food supply chain.
He added that M&S stands ready to support the government with any negotiations, concluding:
“Five years on, it is time to put an end to the Brexit bureaucracy that burdens both UK and Irish businesses.”
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