A Harrogate GP surgery has warned it will have to postpone non-urgent blood tests as the national blood supply crisis affects the district.

The Spa Surgery has said it will contact patients to rearrange routine blood tests but said urgent blood tests will continue as normal. Other local GP practices are also believed to be affected.

The surgery, which is based at Mowbray Square Medical Centre, said on Facebook:

“As you may have seen on the national news, there is a global shortage of the sample tubes we use when we do blood tests.

“This means if you have a routine (non urgent) blood test booked with us in the coming few weeks, we may be getting in touch with you to rearrange it. We will still be doing urgent blood tests and these will be processed as normal.

“We have also removed the online booking option on our practice website to ensure we can strictly control our stocks of sample tubes.”

Supply chain problems, exacerbated by Brexit, have caused numerous problems lately, with supermarkets among those affected.

Read more:

• Social care at ‘tipping point’ as staff shortages deepen with 1,000 vacancies
• Is Brexit to blame for Harrogate’s hospitality jobs crisis?

The British Medical Association, a professional body for doctors in the UK, said in a statement yesterday the shortage of blood tubes across hospitals and GP surgeries was now severe and if the NHS did not reduce the amount being used in the coming days, even the most clinically important blood tests may be at risk.

The statement added doctors had “made plain their concerns about the implications for patients and their anger that this shortage has been allowed to happen” and the situation was now urgent.

Dr David Wrigley, BMA council deputy chair, said:

“This crisis has put doctors and their patients in a terrible, unenviable position. No doctor knowingly undertakes unnecessary blood tests and to now have to ration all those we are doing, as well as cancel hundreds more, goes against everything we stand for as clinicians.

“However, if we don’t try to follow the NHS guidance, it’s clear we will get to the point where even the most clinically urgent of blood tests may not be able to be done as we simply won’t have the tubes for the blood to go into.

“We are at a very perilous point and it’s surprising that NHS England hasn’t declared a critical incident given the very strong possibility that NHS organisations may temporarily lose the ability to provide lifesaving diagnostic testing.

“Many GP practices – like mine – will now have to spend hours assessing which already scheduled tests can or cannot be cancelled and this takes time away from frontline patient care when it is most needed. Cancelling tests makes patients anxious and can mean a missed diagnosis.”

Have you been affected by the blood shortage? Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Farmers and landowners in Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty can apply for land management grants.

Farming in Protected Landscapes is a government-funded three-year programme to support those who manage land in AONBs and national parks across the UK.

The funding is part of the government’s agricultural transition plan after Brexit and the end of EU subsidies.

Iain Mann, manager at Nidderdale AONB, said:

“Projects will need to deliver a positive outcome in at least one of the four key areas.

“These are: climate, such as flood risk reduction or carbon storage; nature, with improved habitats for biodiversity; people, with better access or engagement with the land; and place, which includes enhancing the character of the land, its historic features, or increasing the business resilience of farms.”

Examples of suitable projects could be action to reduce carbon emissions or use of plastics on farms, enhancing habitat for wildlife, improving access on public footpaths, promoting a series of farm walks, conserving historical features on the land, or farm diversification to provide tourism activities, such as stargazing or dawn chorus walks.

Read more:

• Nidderdale Show in Pateley Bridge cancelled due to covid
• Nidderdale visitors urged to report adder sightings

All farmers and landowners within the AONB can apply – including those from the private, public and charity sector. Other organisations and individuals are eligible too, as long as they are collaborating or supporting a farmer or land manager.

AONB staff will decide which applications under £5,000 to accept.

Grant requests for over £5,000 will be assessed by a local assessment panel, made up of representatives from Nidderdale AONB, Natural England and the farming and land management community.

Mr Mann said farming was “part and parcel of what makes Nidderdale AONB’s landscape so special”.

He added:

“These new grants will help us to collaborate even more with farmers and land managers to protect the AONB’s natural beauty, tackle climate change and safeguard our wildlife and heritage, while sustaining a vibrant working landscape.”

A bid for almost half-a-million pounds of post-Brexit cash to support the Harrogate district economy is to be submitted to a new government fund.

North Yorkshire County Council is hoping to win £432,009 from the Community Renewal Fund, which has been launched as a replacement for the loss of EU funding streams after Brexit.

The funding would be used to invest in skills, jobs and local communities.

Thirteen projects from businesses and community groups in the Harrogate district have been shortlisted for the funds, although full details have yet to be announced.

Speaking at a meeting yesterday, Cllr Andrew Lee, executive member for open to business at the county council, said the wider North Yorkshire region had bid for a total of £8.4 million, which he hoped would provide a “shot in the arm” for the county’s Brexit transition and Covid recovery.

He said: 

“The Community Renewal Fund is seen as an essential tool in the government’s levelling up agenda and I’m exceptionally pleased we have been able to secure 66 applications.

“Our officers have managed to shortlist these applications down to 28 projects with a total of £8.4m that we now intend to submit to government.

“If this is successful, we believe this will provide a real shot in the arm for our county.

“I believe we have certainly hit the government’s brief which is to enable innovation. I hope we will secure the full £8.4m for North Yorkshire and I look forward to hearing from government on the final funding award in July and August.”

Of the £8.4 million, Harrogate would receive the lowest sum, while Scarborough and Richmondshire would get the most with £2,981,341 and £1,904,097 respectively after being identified as priority areas by the government.

Read more:

• Harrogate councillor’s countryside home approved at third time of asking
• MPs watch: Timid flowers, Eurovision and Knaresborough banks
• Harrogate and Knaresborough could be shrunk, under parliamentary boundary shake-up

Applications for the cash closed in May. The government will have the final say on which projects are granted funding, with an announcement expected in July or early August.

The Community Renewal Fund fund is initially being trialled as a pilot scheme before the Shared Prosperity Fund, announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in November’s spending review, is fully rolled out next year.

North Yorkshire County Council will also make a bid to the government’s Levelling Up Fund, which will provide a one-off capital investment of up to £20 million “in infrastructure that improves everyday life”.

Feasibility studies have already been carried out into several local projects, including an anaerobic digestion plant in Ryedale, an electric vehicle charge network and the renewal of Ripon Barracks.

Karl Battersby, the county council’s corporate director of business and environmental services, told Tuesday’s meeting that the authority had now shortlisted three projects, with the full details to be revealed after the bid is submitted.

He said: 

“There is currently a round one for submissions and a round two which has yet to be announced. What we have determined in numerous discussions is that it would be much better for us to submit a comprehensive round two bid where we can maximise the opportunities that the Levelling Up bid presents.”

This article is sponsored by A-Plan Harrogate.

Many of us are keeping our fingers (and toes) crossed for a summer holiday later this year, and research suggests more people than ever will ditch the plane in favour of driving to a European destination.

But are you up-to-date on new driving regulations since the UK left the EU?

Whilst some things have stayed the same, there are new requirements which will change how we prepare and drive in Europe, including the documents you’ll need to carry with you to ensure you have the right cover and protection.

Before traveling, make sure you speak to your insurer. It might be that there’s no impact on you and it may not even incur an additional cost, but you will have peace of mind that you’ve ticked all the necessary boxes.

1. Insurance Green Cards

Perhaps the most significant change is that motorists wanting to drive abroad will now need to have a Green Card certificate of insurance produced by their insurance provider. If you arrive at the border without a physical Green Card, you will not be allowed to drive in that country. Despite the name, ‘green cards’ no longer need to be printed on green paper – white paper is also acceptable as long at the text is black, but digital copies are not acceptable. Although most insurers have prepared well for these requests, as you need a hard copy it’s advised that you order these at least 4 weeks before your departure, disclosing all the territories that you will be travelling through.

2. Towing a caravan or trailer

If you are towing a caravan or trailer during your trip in the EU, you will need two Green Cards: one for your vehicle and one for the caravan or trailer. If you don’t have a Green Card you may be breaking the law by driving your vehicle in Europe, and you might face a fine or your vehicle could be seized.

3. International Driving Permits (IDP)

Despite some trepidation before the deal was struck with the EU, if you have a UK photocard driving licence, you do not need an IDP to drive in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. However, if you still have a paper driving licence this may not be acceptable in some EU countries and so you will have to obtain a new photocard licence or an IDP before you travel. Find out more about this here. 

4. GB sticker

As was the case when the UK was an EU member state, if your number plate has only a Euro symbol or a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales, you must display a GB sticker on the rear of your vehicle. These can be purchased from many internet sites or at the port of departure. If your number plates show GB, you do not need to add the sticker.

5. Insurance of personal items in your car

Many people do not realise that cover for personal items under car insurance is quite limited (usually only a few £100 at best). With most families travelling with a couple of tablets for the kids, mobile phones and a camera, the cost of replacing lost or stolen items without insurance could be high. A-Plan Insurance recommend that you check you have the right cover in place on your home contents insurance, as this can usually be added at reasonable cost if not already included. Be sure to check cover for high value items such as jewellery and watches as these could be subject to further endorsements such as a custody clause, meaning the items must be worn at all times.

Chris Bishop (A-Plan Harrogate Branch Manager) said:

“Although at the moment travelling throughout Europe may seem a long way off, it’s absolutely imperative that people are aware of all the changes that may impact their insurance cover. Our local team are here to help so if anyone has any queries then please do get in touch.”

Got a question about insurance for travelling or driving abroad? Contact the A-Plan Harrogate branch for no-obligation advice. 

Despite covid and “mountains of paperwork” caused by Brexit, Ripon Engineering Supplies is set to celebrate its 40th anniversary with further expansion.

Established in 1981 by Richard Lawrence, the company supplies engineering products to the trade and public.

It employs 13 staff at its new Camp Hill Close premises and plans to add to that number – despite the huge recent challenges.

Mr Lawrence, the managing director, told the Stray Ferret:

“Brexit has had a bigger negative effect on the business than covid.

“We’re just hoping it’s teething problems, as the UK adjusts to being out of Europe.

“It’s not looking too promising at present – and I’m sure we’re not alone in facing these issues, including the frustration of dealing with mountains of time-consuming paperwork.”

China-made products subject to tariffs 

Many products are manufactured in China and are subject to tariffs when they are transported through the channel ports.

Besides increasing costs, the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union is also causing delays.

Daniel Smith, the company’s sales and marketing manger, said:

“Some items that we were able to order and receive the next day are now held up for weeks at the docks.”

However, the company, which stocks over 50,000 items ranging from a 4 mm nut costing a penny to large welding equipment costing £5,000, remains focused on the future.

Storemen Zac Garrington (left) and Joel Francis are among the locally recruited staff.

Healthy year-on-year growth of between 10 to 12 percent means Ripon Engineering Supplies is now operating from its fifth location in the city.

Each move to larger premises has been prompted by increased demand.

Read more:

• Better deal sought on Ripon Town Hall lease
• Another Ripon shop closes its doors

Mobile shop launched

As part of its strategic plan, the company has launched a mobile shop serving North Yorkshire.

Its one-stop shop on wheels takes essential components and tools to customers, including food factories, famers, engineers, mechanics and local government departments.

As well as providing a rapid response service, the covid-secure Mercedes Sprinter van reduces the need for people to visit the Camp Hill Close premises while social distancing requirements remain in place.

Mr Lawrence started as a sole trader with a second-hand Transit van and three children to feed, selling nuts, bolts, tools and a myriad of other products.

Two of those children, Mark and Sam, now work for the business and provide a ready-made route to succession for the day when Mr Lawrence and his wife and fellow director Paula, decide to take life a little easier.

Strayside Sunday is our weekly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

Goodbye and good riddance 2020.

As the new year begins we can reflect on the tumultuous events that none of us could have predicted 365 long days ago. Covid-19 has become an ever-present spectre in our national life, threatening our health, grievously damaging our economy and sharpening the grindstone of everyday living.

From the collectivist blitz spirit of spring when we all agreed to “Stay at home. Save lives. Protect the NHS,” through a summer of cancelled exams and educational turmoil for our young people, to a late autumn second national lockdown and into a winter of new, more transmissible variants, remembering the “before times” brings to mind the universal human luxuries of social and physical contact, the democratic luxuries of liberty and freedom of movement and the relative financial luxuries (for some but by no means all) of economic stability.

There have been bright spots of course. The way the nation rallied publicly in support of healthcare and other front-line workers; clapping from our doorsteps as one, draped in the colours of the rainbow. Captain, (now, deservedly, Sir) Tom Moore’s valiant one hundred lap trek around his back garden on his walker to raise over £30m for the NHS. Myriad examples of local and voluntary support groups organising to ferry food and kindness to the isolated and alone. This was and is truly the best of British.

Our behaviour hasn’t been flawless. Injunctions against gathering and socialising were increasingly ignored as compliance fatigue set in.  This was perhaps understandable for reasons valid, for example choosing to prioritise our mental health and, for reasons less so, as a reaction to the ever-changing government-imposed restrictions, broken promises (the five-day Christmas being just the latest example), confused guidance and mixed messaging.

Fundamental trust in the Conservative government’s actions and motives has been damaged too. From the scandal of eye-wateringly large contracts awarded, without due process, or even prior qualification, to the Chumocracy to supply flawed PPE; to its tone deaf refusal to provide free school meals for children who needed them; to the latest example, a national NHS Test & Trace programme (actually run by Public Health England) based initially on the idea that a single technology, developed at the centre, could meet the hugely diverse character and needs of the British population; one worries that our government, just over a year into its term, is in office but not in power.

And they are spending staggering sums of our money in the process; over £10bn was spent on PPE; Test & Trace, the latest failed attempt to build a national technology system, has so far cost the taxpayer £22bn, yes, that’s £22 BILLION!. Only when council leaders reacted with fury at the Test & Trace system’s unfolding and predictable inefficacies did the project pivot to work with and exploit the knowledge and existing networks of local authorities.

Scratching the surface reveals that Serco, one of the private companies leading the effort, have themselves subcontracted twenty other private businesses to help deliver the work. It has been a fiasco and a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money. Come the revolution heads should roll but it is nonetheless rumoured that Dido Harding, the head of Test & Trace, will be rewarded with the position of NHS England Chief Executive on Sir Simon Stevens’s impending retirement. I kid you not.

My hope is that, if anything, the events of the past year will cause us to look again at the type of country we want to build. One in which the public good becomes paramount, one in which health and wellbeing (particularly for the less well to do) become the North Stars guiding politicians and policymakers in their actions, one in which we define anew what constitutes, in both conception and implementation, the affairs of state. If not a bigger state then a more activist state. A state that understands and acts on its obligations to care for its people first and one that recognises that capital does not, as we have seen yet again, a soul possess.

However, I suspect that with a Brexit deal now signed, whatever you think of it on the merits, the government will charge ahead with policies designed to stimulate business and trade. From free ports to enterprise zones, from tax incentives to fiscal stimulus, the government has to rebuild a battered economy. If it is to do so and return itself to our electoral (or at least opinion poll) affections, then it must demonstrate that it has “levelled up” the economy while delivering humane social improvements.

I wish you all a happier, more contented and above all healthy 2021.  With mass vaccinations now underway, I very much hope that will be the case, so that when spring comes around again, we will experience the rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth that the season usually promises.

Let’s hope too that the bright, sunny, international trading uplands long promised by the Brexiteers comes to fruition and that the Conservative “levellers” spend the spoils on the areas and initiatives that need it most.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

In November, sisters Fran Robinson and Hannah Blakey, who farm near Ripon, helped to save a young bull and herd of cows from drowning in the River Ure. It has been a difficult 2020 for the rural economy, as Fran reflects on the farming year.

Being born into a farming family with livestock to look after, the animals have always come first.

From being toddlers, Hannah and I have happy memories of cold Christmas Day mornings, watching the cattle and sheep being fed and bedded.

Today, as has been the case for the three years since we started running our own farm, it will be us doing the feeding, mucking out and providing fresh bedding.

Our Texel Mule sheep and lambs, Limousin, Simmental and Belted Galloway cattle and Quincy the bull, will be checked and fed before we open our presents.

A lovely addition for us this year has been five Valais Blacknose lambs – a rare breed that we look forward to showing next summer, if covid restrictions allow. They came from Switzerland and are called Hettie, Hannah, Hyacinth, Honor and Hollie.

There’s no question that this has been a difficult and unpredictable year for farmers across the Harrogate district, with extremes of weather, covid-19 and uncertainty over Brexit.

For us, Brexit could have an effect on exporting lambs and the price of them. It could mean tariffs, which would reduce what we get. However, we remain hopeful.

Farming sisters Fran Robinson and Hannah Blakey with some of their cattle

In the wider farming community across the Harrogate district, arable farmers producing vegetables had a very wet start to the year and flooded fields reduced yields and made life difficult, even before the coronavirus crisis caused additional problems.

Fortunately, Hannah and I were able to keep our animals safe and fed away from the sodden ground and they have thrived

We had a good lambing time from April to May and it was all systems go with Hannah clipping her first 300 sheep.

The very hot weather in spring and summer meant we had to ensure that our sheep were as fly-free as possible and treated accordingly.

Read more:

• Nidd farming sisters save bull from drowning
• Harrogate district farmers fearful of post-Brexit future

Perhaps one positive thing that has emerged from the coronavirus crisis has been the need for communities to pull together and look after each other.

As farmers, we are part of the community, and the message that people should support local producers has never been more important.

It’s not only good for the local economy, but reduced road and air miles are good for the environment – something Hannah and I feel strongly about as we play our part in being countryside custodians.

An independent Harrogate greengrocer has warned there could be fruit shortages due to the ongoing chaos at the UK’s borders.

Last night France closed its border with the UK for 48 hours because of a new strain of coronavirus found in the south of England. This caused huge tailbacks and panic buying.

The end of the UK transition period to leave the EU on December 31 is set to cause further delays at ports.

The issue has caused concern among national and local retailers.

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s warned today port restrictions could leave the UK without fruit and vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower and citrus fruits, which are all imported at this time of year.

Its fears were echoed by James Sore, co-owner of greengrocer Roots & Fruits, on King Edward’s Drive in Harrogate.

Mr Sore said the queues at Dover were already having an impact on his shop, which was recently without plums for two or three days.

He said the plums were “floating on a ship” because lorries were unable to bring them back to Harrogate.

Read more:

• Sneak peek: new organic food shop in Harrogate
• District farm shops see rise in customers during lockdown

He added problems at ports were likely to affect the supply of tropical fruit, such as citrus fruits and bananas, which can only be grown in warmer climates:

“It’s a concern. People will have to change their buying habits. But nobody really knows what will happen. It’s a case of suck it and see.”

Despite predicting shortages on imported produce, Mr Sore said local farmers could receive a boost due to having a “captive market”.

Chris Herron, from Killinghall wholesaler J G Bellerby, which supplies produce to restaurants and shops across the district, said he wasn’t worried about food shortages, despite the long tailbacks of lorries in Kent.

He said the company will “ride it out” and see what happens. But he suggested the prices of some vegetables, such as cauliflowers, could rise.

Earlier this month, North Yorkshire County Council played down fears that frozen food is being stockpiled at schools and care homes to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period.

Strayside Sunday is our weekly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

Although I worked closely with Iain Duncan Smith in his brief time as leader of the Conservative Party, I did not share his politics.  As long ago as the Maastricht Treaty when he was one of John Major’s infamous ‘illegitimates,’ IDS was steadfast in his distaste for the European Union and all its wares.  I respect his consistency and principle, even though I’ve always thought he was wrong on the merits and that the arguments he and his fellow ‘ultra’ travellers in the European Research Group pedalled smacked of sentimental nostalgia for a Britain long since lost.

Later, when Ken Clarke ran for the Tory leadership for the third and final time in 2005 (having failed in 1997 and 2001), I played a minor part in his campaign.  On the day of his announcement I and another member of his team were to meet the great man in the lobby of Portcullis House before meeting his parliamentary supporters in his office upstairs.

True to form, he was late. And when Ken did arrive, ducking in from a torrential downpour, he did so in a grossly oversized hooded puffer jacket dripping with the elements.

Knowingly oblivious to the presentational requirements of the political age, the back of his jacket adorned a huge logo advertising Lucky Strike cigarettes, a brand owned by British American Tobacco (on whose board Ken served).  His shoes, brown and suede, handmade – not Hush Puppy – were soaked.  His boosters were already assembled in his office when we arrived; and a motley crew they made.  Gathered were MPs Ann Widdecombe (before she was dragged across the Strictly dance floor like a sack of spuds), Tim Yeo (the doyenne of the extra-marital affairs), the former speaker John “I’m not a Bully” Bercow and Ken’s trusty lieutenant Andrew Tyrie.  The crew was neither pretty nor effective.

That said, Ken Clarke remains one of the giants of contemporary British politics and, so far as I’m concerned, one of the greatest Prime Ministers the country never had.  That he ended his 49 years in service to the Conservative Party and the country with the whip withdrawn for voting with his conscience against the European Union withdrawal bill, was scandalous. A demonstration of just how far from grace our politics and public discourse has fallen.

During his political career Ken was variously Chancellor of the Exchequer, Justice Secretary, Home Secretary, Health Secretary and Education Secretary.  Throughout, he remained (no pun intended) a passionate supporter of, and advocate for, the European Union, a position that caused him little trouble even when serving in the Thatcher cabinet.  He can now enjoy his retirement, shrouded in swirling pungent cigar smoke, listening to jazz and watching Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club; safe in the knowledge that he did his bit as Rome was falling.

And it has come to this.  It seems likely that at the end of this month we will crash out of the European Union without a post-Brexit agreement deal with our “European friends and partners” (as BoJo calls them… with his usual sincerity).  This on the strength of a 52%-48% vote 40 years after the British people joined Europe through a referendum margin of two to one.  As talks between the two parties founder, the Royal Navy has been put on alert with four of our remaining fleet slated to patrol our coastal waters to protect our fish from those dreadful Gallic marauders across the channel.  Am I alone in feeling that this is all a bit, well, small?

The problems and attendant search for solutions that will consume humanity in the immediate decades to come – climate change; endemic inequalities of health and wealth; water, food and energy security; migration; and of course pandemic – are by definition shared and international.  For me, these things trump the relative pettifogging of institutional bureaucracy, judicial subsidiarity, and free movement across borders.  The neo-liberal economic orthodoxy that belies the appeal of sovereignty to those who chose our current divergent path has not, and will not, save the world.

I am not an advocate for overturning our decision to leave.  I accept the decision taken by the people and affirmed in Parliament.  However, I wish it were otherwise and I don’t accept that Britain has chosen the right path.  At this last, I can only hope that, under the blinding arc lights of media scrutiny, the threat of a no-deal Brexit feels greater than the actual prospect of it.  The political theatre played out between Britain and Europe demands posturing and brinksmanship it seems.  I am sure however that neither side can emerge from these negotiations with any great merit or with their dignity intact.  We will all be the poorer if an agreement can’t be reached.

I sincerely hope that the fears of thousands of lorries backed up at our borders, of never-ending queues at passport control, of food shortages and inflated food prices, of new tariffs on our goods and services and other social and economic disadvantages all prove unfounded.  Sadly I don’t think they will; Ken is right and IDS is wrong.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

Read More: 

• Strayside Sunday:  the inconsistencies, inequities and anomalies of a tier
• North Yorkshire County Council plays down food stockpiling fears

Is your business affected by a no-deal Brexit? The Stray Ferret would like to hear from you. Get in touch on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

A Harrogate business has set up a company in Ireland ahead of Brexit in case trade talks “go horribly wrong”.

David Kinsey, owner of The Kinsey Partnership which distributes golf clothing and headwear worldwide, said he was confident his business will survive any outcome of Brexit.

It comes as today is the last day of crunch talks between the UK and European Union over a post-Brexit trade deal.

Mr Kinsey said he felt the outcome of the talks were “up the air”, but added that he would want to see a deal reached.

He said:

“I would like to see a smooth, easy transition like most would.

“I personally think everybody wants us to get a deal. I am sure all the nations in Europe want us to get a trade deal.”

The Kinsey Partnership imports and exports golf goods to shops and golf resorts in countries like Ireland, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.

Read more:

• Andrew Jones MP calls for HS2 work to start in Yorkshire

• £9.8m upgrade of Knaresborough to Poppleton rail route complete

Mr Kinsey said, while he cannot plan ahead due to the uncertainty of the trade talks, he had set up a company in Ireland as a contingency.

“I’m in a position where I have set up a company in Ireland, just in case that is something we need in case things go horribly wrong and we can ship and import into Ireland if we have to.”

While the Brexit talks has caused uncertainty for trade, Mr Kinsey said coronavirus has caused the company bigger problems due to a shutdown on people playing golf.

He said the virus has been a “much bigger issue” on stock and trade.

Meanwhile, last week, North Yorkshire County Council played down fears that food is being stockpiled at schools and care homes to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period.

NYCC released a Brexit risk assessment, published in September, which states that “there is significant risk of delays at ports that will impact supply chains” and that the authority is evaluating capacity for frozen food storage.

The Stray Ferret asked the county council to update us on its plans for Brexit. In a statement, NYCC said it is “managing any adverse impact” that may arise from Brexit, but said this did not involve stockpiling food.

It comes Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen set a deadline for today tor each an agreement on trade talks.

Both Mr Johnson and the EU warned earlier this week that a no deal scenario was a likely outcome.

If no agreement is reached and ratified by December 31 then the UK and EU could impose tariffs on each others goods.

If your company is affected by Brexit in any way, the Stray Ferret wants to hear from you. Get in touch on contact@thetstrayferret.co.uk.