EU - Neighbourhood Retailer

Transport business Derry Group reports year of significant growth

Linda Stewart — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 09:52:53 +0000

Transport and refrigerated storage business Derry Group has reported a year of significant growth as it consolidated its position as one of the leading distributors of chilled and frozen food in Ireland.

Derry Refrigerated Transport (DRT), which supplies virtually all major food service and wholesalers across the island, had sales just shy of £16 million in the 2021 calendar year, according to new accounts filed at Companies House.

That’s up 18 per cent on the previous year’s revenues of £13.5 million, with its growth coming in both UK and EU markets.

The Armagh-based company – founded in 1999 by Patrick Derry (43) and run today by both himself and his wife Fiona – also saw its pre-tax profits almost double from £657,980 to £1,127,659.

Retained profit for the financial year came in at £807,356 (up from £425,199).

DRT, which boasts a fleet of 100 trucks, 140 fridges, 20 curtain trailers and 4 skeletals, had an average of 36 permanent full-time staff over the year, and its wages bill came in at £960,000.

The group is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tivanagh Holdings, and its ultimate controlling party is Patrick Derry, a former finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition.

He left school at 15 and worked on a fruit market in Belfast before, at the age of 19, he identified an opening in distribution as larger UK supermarkets began replacing the conventional food markets.

The company’s steady growth over the last few years has largely come on the back of a £9 million investment in a state of the art coldstore at Carn, on the outskirts of Portadown, which dispatches goods daily to end users across Ireland and the rest of Europe. It was first facility of its kind in Ireland and represents the next evolution for DRT.

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Ban on food additive titanium dioxide looms on August 7

Linda Stewart — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 10:57:08 +0000

It’s now less than a week until titanium dioxide is no longer authorised as a food additive in Northern Ireland.

The August 7 deadline marks the end of a process that started in January when an EU Regulation withdrawing the use of titanium dioxide as an additive in food products was adopted.

Great Britain will not follow the European Union in banning titanium dioxide as a food additive at this time, but the ban will apply in Northern Ireland as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) said after reviewing the evidence, no safety concerns had been identified, which means there will not be a change to regulation in England and Wales. Food Standards Scotland (FSS) also reached the same conclusion.

The European action was based on an assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in May 2021 which raised potential concerns over accumulation of titanium dioxide particles in the body and possible genotoxicity. Genotoxicity is the ability for a substance to damage DNA, which may lead to cancer.

In early 2022, the European Commission adopted a ban on the use of titanium dioxide as a food additive after member state backing in late 2021. Because of a six month transition period, it will apply from August 7 this year.

The additive is widely used to give a white colour in foods such as cakes and pastries, confectionery or food supplements.

Stella Kyriakides, who is in charge of EU health and food safety, previously said the safety of food and consumer health was non-negotiable.

“This is why we ensure strict and continuous scrutiny of the highest safety standards for consumers. A cornerstone of this work is to make sure that only safe substances, backed by sound scientific evidence, reach our plates,” she said.

The FSA’s scientific advisory committees reviewed the EFSA opinion and found that the evidence did not support the conclusions made. In the United States, the additive may be used under certain conditions set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FSA and FSS are doing a risk assessment on the substance that should be ready for early 2023.

The additive is used to create a bright white colour in a range of food, nutraceutical, food supplement and pharmaceutical products, ranging from chewing gum and confectionery to sunscreen and toothpaste.

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CBI comments on proposals for medicines coming into NI

Linda Stewart — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 16:42:03 +0000

The CBI has commented on an EU commitment that medicines entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain will not need additional labelling or testing.

Medicines will continue to be available in Northern Ireland at the same time as in the rest of the UK, the European Union (EU) has said.

The protocol means Northern Ireland is still inside the EU’s pharmaceutical regulatory system, but it gets most of its medicines from Great Britain, which is not.

The EU says its new proposals mean medicines entering NI from GB will not need additional labelling or testing.

Sean McGuire, CBI Europe Director, said: “The CBI and wider industry have been calling for greater certainty on the movement of medicines between GB and NI – today’s announcement from the EU looks like a welcome step in that direction.

“Industry will now examine the detail on this complex and sensitive issue.

“Businesses urge both sides to work together and agree lasting, durable solutions to unlock the remaining issues with the Protocol.”

European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said a commitment to ensure the supply of medicines into Northern Ireland was being turned into “a lasting solution”.

He said the protocol “has the flexibility to work on the ground”.

For generic drugs like paracetamol, the UK regulator can continue to approve drugs for NI and companies in GB can continue to use the the same pack and leaflet for all parts of the UK, with no need for NI-specific packaging.

All regulatory functions, like batch testing, will remain wherever they are now in the UK – with no need to relocate any testing facilities from GB to NI.

For new medicines, like cancer drugs, any product authorised in the UK can be supplied to NI, until the relevant authorisation is also given in the EU.

The EU says this “bridging solution” is in addition to the existing compassionate and emergency use early access mechanisms under EU law.

For all types of medicines, no manufacturing authorisation or import licence will be required for bringing medicines into NI from the rest of the UK.

In addition, EU medicine unique identifiers won’t have to be removed from products transiting through GB to NI and the reaffixed when entering NI.

However this derogation is only for three years, which the EU says will allow more time for industry to adapt.

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Brexit talks on NI medicine supplies expected to continue into the new year

Linda Stewart — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:18:05 +0000

UK sources says there has been no breakthrough on EU-UK talks to reach agreement on medicine supply for Northern Ireland, with negotiations now expected to continue into the new year.

The recent talks between the UK and EU focused on how to guarantee the supply of medicines from GB to Northern Ireland, with issues surrounding the effects of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a part of the Brexit deal which means Northern Ireland remains covered by the EU’s pharmaceutical regulations.

The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed by the UK and EU in 2019 as a way to avoid a hardening of the Irish land border.

Goods can flow freely between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but goods arriving from the rest of the UK are subject to controls to ensure they comply with EU standards.

As Northern Ireland receives most of its medicines from suppliers in Great Britain, pharmacies could face difficulties in supply when a grace period on the changes ends in January.

Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister has said Brussels is “anxious” to move ahead unilaterally by changing its laws if the UK does not agree an approach.

Meanwhile, goods exported from Ireland to Great Britain will be temporarily exempted from new border controls on EU-GB trade, which take effect on 1 January.

The government said the move was a “pragmatic act of goodwill” which can help maintain space for continued negotiations on the NI Protocol.

Lord Frost said those negotiations would not be definitively completed by 1 January.

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There could be trouble ahead – Post-Grace Period Blues

Julie Nash — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 08:39:27 +0000

M&S warn of potential Christmas chaos – NIFDA warn of labour shortages

M&S chairman Archie Norman has warned that Northern Ireland customers will be affected in the run up to Christmas – once the Brexit grace period ends on 30^th September – with less choice and higher prices – while the Northern Ireland Food & drink Association has warned of severe labour shortages in the food processing sector locally.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday M&S chairman Archie Norman said supply chain issues are ‘about to get worse.’

Reduction in food supply

“The result would be substantial reduction in food supply from the UK to Northern Ireland and an increase in prices for its citizens. Already, M&S has had to cancel sales of our Christmas Food to Order, our top-end range service, into Northern Ireland because we just don’t know if we can get it there.”

He also warned of tough decisions to delist product for Northern Ireland because “it’s simply not worth the risk of trying to get it through.”

The combination of the HGV driver shortage and the scale of paperwork required to transport some products from GB to Northern Ireland are making the situation unsustainable – and if M&S is affected, it’s likely that other multiples could be affected.

A fandango of bureaucracy

The M&S chief described the situation as “a fandango of bureaucracy, extra costs and food waste,” indicating that some M&S vehicles travel to ports in GB with 700 pages of documentation, “equivalent to three paperback books” he said.

“This is not a one-way street. At the moment, the Irish Government is following EU guidelines and implementing their draconian controls. But by contrast, the UK has allowed EU products to continue to flow into the country, no veterinary checks, no border inspection.

Mutual act of self-destruction

“Starting in October, that is going to change when UK Government rules are set to mirror those of the EU. So in a mutual act of self-destruction, we risk lumbering French cheese producers and Spanish chorizo manufacturers with the same costs as we have faced trying to export food to the EU” he told the Mail on Sunday, adding that “delays, driver shortages and paper mountains could be spectacular”.

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