God save the bacon.
The UK is facing an impending bacon shortage after the British government restricted travel from Denmark, which supplies 25 percent of all pork products sold in the country, reports said.
The ban comes as the Scandinavian nation grapples with a mutated version of COVID-19 that was found in minks — and then 12 humans — leading to a planned massacre of 15-17 million of the creatures to protect vaccine efforts.
The new mutated version of COVID-19 found in minks has not responded well to antibody therapy and could lead to a brand new pandemic in the country, health officials previously warned.
As a result, the UK tightened travel from Denmark on Sunday, leaving industry insiders worried about pork shortages that could come down the line, The Sun reported.
Rob McKenzie, the managing director of policy at the Road Haulage Association, a trade group that represents road transport and freight logistics operators, called the restrictions “significant and unique.”
“[There could be] a potential disruption to bacon supplies in the UK” if restrictions persist for a “long time,” McKenzie told the outlet.
The UK’s ban specifically prohibits freight drivers who’ve traveled through Denmark over the last 14 days and aren’t residents of England from entering the country.
In addition, passenger planes and ships traveling from Denmark and carrying goods, including pork, with them won’t be allowed to dock.
However, pork products can still come into the UK on ferries, as long as they are on “unaccompanied” trailers, industry sources told The Sun.
Logistics UK, an organization that represents freight companies in the country, insisted the industry is “agile” and importers will be able to “switch between transport modes to ensure that products still arrive.”
“Much of the ferry transport between the UK and Denmark is sent in unaccompanied trailers, so drivers simply collect their loads from ports, with no need to travel across the border,” the group said in a statement.
“The industry will continue to maintain high levels of vigilance and follow all necessary health protocols to protect the UK.”
Meanwhile, some local suppliers see the ban as a boon for business.
“Our nitrite-free Naked Bacon is made using pork from the British Isles. Our sales are up 70 percent this year and we have kept the supermarket shelves stocked throughout the pandemic,” Denis Lynn from Finnebrogue Artisan, which produces the UK’s biggest bacon brand, Naked Bacon, told the outlet.
“We are prepared to meet additional demand if our competitors’ pork supply from Denmark is disrupted.”
With Post wires
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