Fears Brexit could lead to food shortages in EU and UK

The Netherlands, from whence the UK imports many of its vegetables, prepares for the worst-case scenario of a potential failure to reach a Brexit deal.

The leaders of the European Union are meeting on Wednesday as a deal over Brexit looks to be as far away as ever.

The effects of a no-deal Brexit will be felt in the Dutch port of Rotterdam, crucial for the movement of goods into the UK, perhaps more than anywhere else.

The Netherlands government is beginning to plan for a worst-case scenario – no deal at all – as are other European capitals.

Brexit supporters have dismissed worries about food shortages as scaremongering, but with Rotterdam alone sending half of the UK’s summer intake of tomatoes, if no deal is reached, some amount of disruption seems inevitable.

Al Jazeera’s Laurence Lee reports.