Trade experts hired by food firms over NI access issues, report says

Food manufacturers are rushing to hire trade experts to deal with continued difficulties getting products in and out of Northern Ireland due to Brexit, a new report has suggested.

The New Street Consulting Group said businesses are having problems exporting and importing goods in and out of Northern Ireland since January, when the post Brexit trade agreement came into effect.

Checks being made on products entering and leaving Northern Ireland are causing transportation delays and some product shortages, it was claimed.

Experts are being poached from companies and paid up to £1,000 a day, said the consultants.

Laurence Frantzis, director at New Street Consulting Group, said: “Smaller businesses are having particular difficulty in sourcing these interim experts and paying the top rates for their services.

“Many of the larger food producers and manufacturers snapped up some of the leading experts before January 1 in anticipation of problems occurring.

“Brexit is causing problems every day to food and drinks businesses on a scale not seen before. The challenge for businesses now is to retrain people quickly enough to solve all those new trade and supply chain issues.”