CONFUSION over emergency regulations on the export of meat from the UK led to Marks & Spencer’s ready meal shelves being empty yesterday. The mishap cost the local franchise thousands of pounds in lost revenue.

M&S’s head office assumed that the Channel Islands were included in a ban imposed by Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, following the foot-and-mouth outbreak in the UK.

But that applied only to the Republic of Ireland and the rest of Europe.

‘We knew on Tuesday about the Defra ruling,’ said Tony Creasey, whose family firm runs the local M&S franchise. ‘Marks & Spencer did not send us any meat products, but have now realised that the news from Defra didn’t necessarily apply to the Channel Islands.

‘There has been a lot of confusion.’

Mr Creasey said he was expecting a shipment today that would be missing a lot of products.

‘It won’t have any raw meat, non-pasteurised cheese or cured meat. Pet food and chilled products containing meat require vet certification before they can be imported.

‘What we will get in terms of cooked meat I am not sure.’

An EU decision to restrict exports from the UK was made on Monday.

Certification from Defra which allows them to be made to the island was not available yesterday, although it is thought that they should be today.

‘If Defra has not been able to issue the certificates by this afternoon, we will not get a delivery of meat on Saturday because the ship sails from Portsmouth at 9am on Friday so the containers will need to be packed now,’ said Mr Creasey.

He understood that customers would be frustrated.

‘I’m sure we have had many disappointed customers, but I think they have realised the situation is out of our control. It’s very much connected with foot-and-mouth and the interpretation of the rules in relation to exporting food products.

‘It has cost us thousands of pounds in lost turnover today, but farmers in the UK are losing their livelihoods so in the context of things it’s not a lot when you consider what it takes to control this disease.’

Butcher Jason Hamon, from Forest Stores, said that as long as Defra sorted the certification issue within a couple of days, there would be no problem for him.

‘It would not affect us at all because we get regular deliveries,’ he said. ‘As far as I know things are better now than they were at the start of the week.’

Mike Northmore, of Commerce and Employment, confirmed Defra was unable to supply certificates yesterday.

‘There is an EU ban on exports unless the products have a special certificate issued by Defra to say that they meet certain conditions,’ he said.

‘There has been a problem in that the certificates that are needed are not available. There is a note on Defra’s website saying those should be available by the end of play today.’