THE supply of some fish, dairy and meat products to Sainsbury's stores in Northern Ireland could be badly affected from January because of Brexit, the supermarket chain's chief executive has said.
Simon Roberts said the supply of many products, including mince and sausages, as well as fish and dairy items, could be hit.
"If we don’t get greater clarity on the Northern Irish situation then we will see a restriction on the ranges of products we can sell," he said.
"This is not one or two products in stores I am talking about, it is a substantial number of products and quite key, everyday products too."
Mr Roberts said the British government needs to provide answers.
"Customers are expecting value for money and continuity of supply," he said. "We need clarity from government to help us to be able to do that."
Sainsbury’s has 13 stores in Northern Ireland. Problems with the supply chain are also likely to affect other major supermarkets including Tesco and Asda which source many products from Britain.
Regardless of whether the EU and UK agree a free trade deal, the Northern Ireland protocol will kick in at 11pm on December 31.
Under the deal struck by prime minister Boris Johnson, fresh food coming to the north from Britain will be subjected to checks including customs declarations.
Goods must also have health certification in a bid to protect the island of Ireland from outbreaks of infections including salmonella.
Mr Roberts' comments come after the Whitehall spending watchdog raised serious concerns about how the checks will work.
The the National Audit Office said (NAO) the north's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), which is responsible for checks on agri-food products, had been "severely hampered" by the ongoing trade talks with Brussels and a "lack of clarity" over the measures required.
As a result, DAERA had concluded it would not be possible to complete the necessary work on its systems and infrastructure by January 1. It said it was having to explore "contingency options".
The NAO also said the Government had left itself little time to mobilise its new Trader Support Service, which will help businesses moving goods between Britain and Northern Ireland. This meant there was a "high risk" traders would still not be ready when the new arrangements kick in.
