He told the Commons it would be of help to some retailers including Asda and M&S.

Mr Shapps said the company had already “stepped up” following the suspension of P&O routes last week.

Up to 50 staff from Northern Ireland will be directly impacted by P&O’s move to fire 800 workers last week.

Mr Shapps said if it was confirmed that relative notice periods and consultations were not conducted before P&O staff were fired, then it would be a “a matter for criminal prosecution and unlimited fines”.

The Economy Minister Gordon Lyons has accused the firm of “ripping up the employment rule book”.

Mr Lyons said he did not believe P&O had acted within either the “spirit or letter” of employment law, a matter devolved to Northern Ireland.

Officials are investigating potential remedies for breaches of the law.

Earlier, Agriculture minister Edwin Poots had warned that about 50% of Northern Ireland’s food is exported out of Great Britain.

As P&O sailings are a key part of Northern Ireland’s retail logistics infrastructure, the matter needed to be resolved “very quickly”, NIRC’s director Aodhán Connolly said.

He said retailers had stock in large distribution centres which should last for about four or five days.

Mr Connolly said retailers were looking at alternative Irish Sea options such as using the ports of Belfast and Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland.

On Thursday, the company fired about 800 of its workers, with about a quarter of the staff hearing the news via a pre-recorded video message.

A private security firm was sent on board the vessel in Larne, County Antrim, which remains docked at the port, to remove staff.On Monday, P&O said its services, including the crossing from Larne to Cairnryan in Scotland, would be “unable to run for the next few days”.

“For essential travel, customers are advised to seek alternatives themselves,” the firm continued.

It had been suggested at the time of the workforce announcement that it could be a week before the ferry service could resume.

The company said it would update its Twitter account regularly to inform people of the operational situation.

On Monday, Northern Ireland’s Consumer Council said that following talks with P&O, travellers affected by the disruption could re-book their crossing with Stena Line and claim expenses from P&O.

The council’s head of transport, Richard Williams, said people could also claim for additional expenditure, such as some hotel or mileage costs.

“Originally that wasn’t going to be the case but they’ve accepted that because they can’t provide the re-rerouting they normally would that people really have to book with Stena,” he said.

Mr Williams said it was common for mechanical issues to cause delays to ferry services but the P&O situation was one that was “going on and on”.

“It is certainly an unusual situation which is causing real problems for passengers,” he added.

Mr Williams said the biggest issue was the employee situation but he warned the company faced “financial repercussions” to resolve customer issues also.

The post Stena Line to help retailers with extra ferries first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

UFU president Victor Chestnutt said: “The world has been watching in horror as Russia’s inhumane attack on Ukraine continues, The impact of which is now rippling worldwide with global supply chains already in a highly vulnerable state. Many countries around the world, including NI, are reliant on Ukraine’s agricultural produce as well as Russia’s food and gas supplies.

“Input costs have jumped to eyewatering levels over the last number of days and are continuing to skyrocket, in particular, the price of energy and fertiliser. Farmers are in a horrendous position as they’re already trying to manage severe financial pressures, and this is now creating an increasingly difficult situation already.

“Input costs for farmers have risen to such unprecedented levels that the main worry now for consumers is not price, but availability. A rise in grain prices or a significant drop in production is certain to have huge knock-on effects for food consumers.

“Unavoidable impacts on distribution and supply will surely stretch availability to breaking point, let alone affordability. Food, fuel and fertiliser are inseparably linked and if some didn’t realise that before, they will now in the worst possible way.

“We need government and DAERA to act now to address this urgent situation. They need to put contingency plans in place and set up a task force for NI agriculture, and it’s critical that any plan is accompanied by government action to support our farmers.

“The government needs to focus their efforts on rocketing costs and availability of outputs as these are the biggest issues facing our members right now. Government also needs to look at some of their own regulations. 

“To move forward and address the situation, it would be very unwise of government to make any decisions prior to full engagement with farmers’ representatives. It’s really important that we work together and I’ve no doubt that farmers across the country, as they’ve always done at times of challenge in the past, will step up in responding to that.”

The post UFU call for NI agri task force to address impact of Russian invasion in Ukraine first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Visitors to the Asda stand at this year’s Balmoral Show were among the first to meet author Dr Vanessa Woods and receive their own signed copy of ‘Northern Ireland: Our Food, Our Story’.

The fully illustrated book uses poetry to explain otherwise complex topics such as sustainability, traceability, food nutrition, and biodiversity, in an age-appropriate way.

Asda is supporting the regional launch of the book and is supplying copies to every primary school in Northern Ireland..

Asda NI senior manager Joe McDonald said: “What better platform to engage with young consumers and help them understand NI’s unique food and farming offering than the Balmoral Show?

“We were delighted to welcome Vanessa to our stand and ensure as many of our young visitors as possible went home with this great educational resource.  

“With hundreds of Asda’s top quality, locally sourced products also being sampled on our stand, it was the ideal way to connect and communicate the farm to fork message to our future generations.”

The post Asda Backs Kids Book Unveiling The Science Behind Farming first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Mark’s potatoes earned him top marks on BBC2’s Great British Menu. Now he has teamed up with the Northern Ireland-based ‘Mighty Spud’ campaign to tackle public misconceptions surrounding the vegetable.

The campaign was launched in a bid to tackle the potato’s ebbing popularity in the last decade. However, the last three years have witnessed an increase in sales as the potato battles back against competitor carbohydrates.

Mark, who is head chef in the two Michelin-starred Midsummer House in Cambridge, was in Deane’s Eipic on Monday treating guests to his selection of potato-based dishes, created using only the finest locally-sourced crops.

Speaking at the showcase, Mark, who comes originally from Antrim, said, “I grew up in a very traditional family and farming is in our blood. Up until I discovered a love for cooking, farming was all I knew and all I what I wanted to do! Whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, potatoes were on the menu in our house, but what many people don’t realise is, every variety of potato has its uses and I am proud that I was able to showcase this during my time on Great British Menu.”

Figures released last year by the Agriculture and Horticulture Board reveal that the number of potatoes sold in the UK has increased by 1.4 per cent in the last year. Deputy president of the Farmers’ Union, Ivor Ferguson, believes this indicates the re-emergence of the potato as the UK’s favoured dinnertime vegetable.

He said on Monday, “Recent figures can offer reassurance on purchasing habits and it’s really encouraging to see that after three years of hard work, we have started to see negative trends reversed.”

Our picture above shows Mark hard at work in the kitchen’s at Michelin-starred Eipic in Belfast.

The post Star chef cultivates potato’s profile first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.