Guest Wednesday morning from Europe, Stéphane Layani, CEO of Semmaris, the management and operation company of the Rungis site, ensures that the temporary suspension of accompanied freight from the United Kingdom will not have any consequences on the supply of foodstuffs imported from England, such as fish.
INTERVIEW
Despite the gradual resumption of traffic overnight, will the 48-hour isolation imposed by France on the United Kingdom after the discovery in the archipelago of a new strain of Covid-19, will it have consequences on food imports a few days before Christmas?
"French imports from the United Kingdom concern all seafood, but particularly fresh caught fish," recalls a report published in 2016 by FranceAgriMer, a public establishment in charge of the application of the CAP.
Above all, these products are particularly consumed by the French during the end of year celebrations.
"You will have everything!"
"There will be no shortage, you will have all the fish, all the seafood, all the shellfish you want!", Wanted to reassure Wednesday, at the microphone of Europe Morning, Stéphane Layani, CEO of Semmaris , the management and operating company of the Rungis site.
"Every morning, Rungis wholesalers anticipate what is happening," he explains.
"They have stocks, they knew very well that there would be Christmas and New Years to come. You will have the salmon, lobsters, cakes or langoustines you want!"
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Stéphane Layani believes that 2020 is the ideal year to present dishes from the sea during the holidays.
"This year, with the closure of restaurants, oysters are at the best price", he notes.
"If you want to do a civic act, now is the time to buy oysters and shellfish, because these products are mainly eaten in restaurants and collective catering. We must help wholesalers!", He urges .
"We are not going to end all relations with Great Britain"
Another subject of concern vis-à-vis the United Kingdom: Brexit, the negotiations for which Rungis is following with particular interest, fishing also remaining one of the main points of tension between Brussels and London.
"We are impacted, since each year we achieve 100 million euros in turnover with the English", recalls Stéphane Layani.
He is however reassuring: "Until 2022, it will be enough to have an address in Europe to be able to export to Great Britain, it is a big advantage", he explains.
"We are not going to end all relations with Great Britain, it is our first country of agri-food export."