Food production in Northern Ireland could face disruption as union members of the Veterinary Service Animal Health Group begin a five-day strike.

The strike over pay by Northern Irish vets and meat inspectors will mean that no slaughter of cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry can take place across the whole of Northern Ireland this week because official veterinarians will not be on site in abattoirs.

Nick Allen, CEO of the British Meat Processors Association, warned: “It will mean that meat plants will have to cease operations, causing loss of income for those businesses, and disrupting food supply chains. This is a particular worry as we enter the busiest period of the year in the run up to Christmas when our members are preparing festive products like hams and pigs-in-blankets for the Christmas market.”

Allen added that there is also concern over animal welfare, particularly in the pork sector, as pigs begin to back-up on farms, as well as the commercial impact on farming if animals become too big and ‘out of scope’ for supermarket shelves, resulting in farmers unable to sell their livestock. He warns that, because of the numbers of animals involved, it could take months to recover from the loss of those five production days.

However, retailers remain confident that any impact on the availability of goods on shelves will be minimal. Neil Johnston, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, believes that the proposed one-week strike by Nipsa members who work for the government veterinary service will hopefully have little immediate impact on consumers. He said: “Consumers will notice very little impact on shop shelves in the short term as we are hopeful that movements through both red and green lanes of goods going into Northern Ireland will continue as normal. However, the possible significant impact of the strike on the agri food sector and the wider food supply chain is concerning.

“Northern Ireland, like the rest of the UK, has a robust food supply chain. The agri food sector and our food retailers are important parts of that chain. The prospect of disruption is very concerning, however as recent years of Covid and the costs crunch have shown retailers are adept at dealing with disruptions and have contingency plans in place so they can minimise any potential short-term impact on supplies to customers and stores. They are monitoring developments closely.

“Consumers and businesses have a high degree of trust in the quality and safety in the food they buy. They also have confidence about availability and continuity of supply. Anything that undermines that trust and confidence is best avoided if at all possible.”

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