FRENCH traders operating the Norman Market in St Helier are running an ‘everything-must-go’ clearance of their food – because Brexit restrictions mean they cannot take it home.
An email was sent to businesses via the Jersey Hospitality Association offering the chance to buy products such as sausages, pâtés and cheese which cannot be taken back to France.
Christine Bonhomme, director of Maison de Normandie, the organisation that helped bring the market to the Island, said the issue had sprung from a change in administrative procedures after Brexit came into force earlier this year.
‘Even though the food products are French, they cannot be brought back into France without a health certificate from Jersey,’ Miss Bonhomme explained, adding that it was impractical for businesses not based in Jersey to obtain such certification.
With traders due to cease operations at midday today and catch the evening ferry to France, any unsold products were due to be given to local businesses. Alcoholic products, such as cider, are not covered by the restrictions and can be taken back to France.
Miss Bonhomme added: ‘We don’t want nice food to be thrown away when it could be eaten, and some of the businesses here may have had difficulty obtaining food from France, so this could work well for them.’
Those taking part in the market had already suffered a blow when weather conditions meant a delay to their journey to Jersey last Saturday, meaning the loss of a day of weekend business.
