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UK planning document warns of food, medicine shortages in case of no-deal Brexit

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UK planning document warns of food, medicine shortages in case of no-deal Brexit

The U.K. government published its planning document for a worst-case scenario in case of a no-deal Brexit, warning of negative impacts to food and medical supplies and significant border security problems upon the return of hard boundaries between the country and its neighbors.

The "Operation Yellowhammer" briefer, dated Aug. 2 and released Sept. 11 upon the request of parliament, warns that congestion at the English Channel crossing between Britain and France as a result of a no-deal Brexit could cause delays of up to two and a half days for trucks transporting goods across the border.

Such disruption will severely impact the availability of medicines and medical supplies in the U.K., as three-quarters of medical products enter the country that way, according to the document. The government said it expects that significant disruption could go on for up to six months after Britain leaves the EU without a deal.

The U.K.'s food supply will also take a hit from a disruptive no-deal Brexit, with the Yellowhammer document pointing to the risk of panic buying and the impact of price increases on low-income groups due to possible food and agricultural product shortages.

The return of hard borders with the EU post-Brexit will pose challenges to U.K. border enforcers, with the document warning that an earlier announced model of "no new checks with limited exceptions" could be potentially unsustainable "due to significant economic, legal and biosecurity risks."

The government is anticipating the risk of an "illegitimate economy" developing in Britain's border communities, as well as a spike in illegal fishing and smuggling activities in the seas surrounding the U.K. upon leaving the EU.

The worst-case assumptions document also outlined other post-Brexit scenarios for travel in the EU, fuel and energy flows, financial services, personal data, social care and EU citizenship.