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So whilst carefully avoiding the politics about why preppers might be wise in the UK, it's fairly likely there will at least be a short run on the shops.

We've never really had the preppers idea that the US does, as we're not that self sufficient and never that far away from supplies. We also don't really have much space.

So what have / would you recommend for preparations for shortages for those that are short on space?

All I've done so far is buy a chest freezer (we were going to do so anyway, as we can shop in bulk more easily), and I've bought in a wind-up charger and a few lamps.
I've still to get rechargeable batteries and potentially a solar charger, and will stock up on stuff that'll keep a while (toilet roll, kitchen roll, cleaning stuff, tinned goods), but likely only to the extent of an extra couple of items.
Presumably we'll be back to normal within maybe a week, or we'll go full mad max in which case it probably won't make that much difference.

I liken some of this to the Millennium bug - loads of hype which might well fall into nothing. Partly because on the back end many companies are preparing with their own stocks and holding more in warehouses to cover the week or so of utter chaos and confusion that is likely to arise.

The most likely result is that prices will rise on a load of things and will likely remain high even once tariffs and trade details are secured which might result in the same or even lower prices to buy in those goods Just like when the currency changes or the economy has a "downer"

If it gets really bad, you might need to buy some extra milk.

Go down the pub and wait for it all to blow over.

Yeah, I suspect the main thing is just don't get ill or seriously injured in the week or so of chaos that is likely to ensue in said scenario. Not that you want to at the best of times.

Of course, that is easier said than done...

The NHS is likely to be one of the worst hit areas in the short term- I was talking with one of the chief managing pharmacists at my hospital placement before Christmas and they are extremely concerned about maintaining supplies of certain drugs and in constant meetings with suppliers to work out contingencies and legality. There is no deliberate scaremongering here- this is senior clinical management staff trying to find solutions to an impending legal minefield. This includes some basic generic items that are primarily supplied from outside the UK, like saline- the UK cannot just up domestic production at short notice to meet demand. The whole situation is exacerbated by the NHS being forbidden from stockpiling (I have no idea why this is), and by the incredibly regulated environment of pharmaceutical manufacture and distribution.

So don't get ill


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, and if you need to carry an epipen, make sure it is not going to go out of date around that time- renew it beforehand. Epipens already have a national shortage at the moment due to supplier problems, so be careful if you have a severe allergy.

It'll be totally grand right up until it absolutely isn't but everything will be too buggered to make any difference at that point anyway. So, nip to the pub for a cheeky half and maybe at a push buy some peanuts?

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Go down the pub and wait for it all to blow over.

In a nutshell. Prepping for food is a bit pointless. I'll give a few stats to show why.

Right now, we're about 60% self-sufficient in foodstuffs as is right now. 10% of the remaining imports come from outside the EU (and will be unaffected).

We currently produce more than 80% of the eggs and beef consumed internally, we export more wheat than we import (meaning bread isn't an issue), and dairy farming is the largest agricultural sector in the UK making us roughly self-sufficient in butters and milk with a little planning. Sugar imports come primarily from outside the EU. With poultry, we produce about 80% of the chicken we consume, but there's something of an imbalance beyond the figure, as we export many bits l(ike thighs) we don't like; whilst importing far more breast meat than we produce. So the most preferred bit of chicken might become a bit scarcer, but the flip side would be a large increase in the amount of thigh/wing meat.

So what's in that 30% coming from the EU?

Annoyingly, the sector that will primarily be hit by us leaving the EU on the hardest possible terms is actually the one you can prepare the least for; namely the fresh fruit/veg sector. We only produce about 50% of what we use there, and most of it is sourced from the EU. So if out of season Spanish strawberries are your thing for example, you might find it hard to get replacements. Domestic potato production has risen drastically in the last few years however meaning that spuds will be fine at least.

You also might find some specialty fresh products (like slightly fancier cheeses or German sausages) hard to acquire. Wine should be easy to source however due to the sheer quantity of booze laid up in the country.

So yeah. Grab some of that Gruyere if you like, and prepare for a few weeks without fresh grapes. But that's about the worst you'll likely see.

I happen to really like this sort of subject. from the sensible to the extreme.

Id ask though. What are you expecting to prep for. are there government plans for those situations (local shelters to run to in case of emergencies). if not how long do you plan to stay stationary.

id say the bare minimum is have enough stable food and water for you and your family for what ever amount of time you want to shelter for. keep it in your pantry and eat and replace them as you go so you dont waste it. after that probably a simple emergency bag with clothing, emergency radio, battery pack for the cellphone, edit: also basic first aid stuff and i hear its good to have a book or activity otherwise you can go nuts. its basically what i do for the ever looming death earthquake here in Cali.

also since its the UK i guess it wouldnt hurt to have a cricket bat near the door for them zombinos

 Ketara wrote:
Right now, we're about 60% self-sufficient in foodstuffs as is right now. 10% of the remaining imports come from outside the EU (and will be unaffected).

Well prepping would also take into consideration things like major power outages, flooding, zombie apocalypses where markets and refrigeration would be out. its not going to take long for your meats or produce to go bad when the fridge is out.

(how is the UKs infrastructure and natural disaster vulnerabilities?

Most likely the rush will be similar to the one we get when the news announces that there's going to be a dusting of snow in the south. Everyone rushes to the supermarket and buys double of essentials for the week and the shelves empty.

Then it all blows over after a while and people realise that they didn't need to panic and things settle down.

Media hype is what will set most of it off with panic situations.

 Overread wrote:
Most likely the rush will be similar to the one we get when the news announces that there's going to be a dusting of snow in the south. Everyone rushes to the supermarket and buys double of essentials for the week and the shelves empty.

Then it all blows over after a while and people realise that they didn't need to panic and things settle down.

Media hype is what will set most of it off with panic situations.

Only double? soo polite your Brits.

 Desubot wrote:

Well prepping would also take into consideration things like major power outages, flooding, zombie apocalypses where markets and refrigeration would be out. its not going to take long for your meats or produce to go bad when the fridge is out.

I don't think OP is talking about the crazy provisions people in the US or Japan have to make. We're talking about making sure you're good for the first few weeks of a hard Brexit. The power will still be running.

In which case, the answer is as I gave above, more or less. Drugs are the only thing I'm aware of potentially having any key shortages (i.e. serious impact on life and wellbeing); but anything pharmacy dispensed will be distributed from central NHS points. So basically pick up a couple of extra packets of ibuprofen/Paracetamol and Codeine, look up more potato based recipes, re-arrange any flights you might be taking, and that's about all you can do. We're not going to suddenly starve.

You might find you have to eat chicken wings instead of breast for a month, and fresh grapes are off the menu, but that doesn't exactly qualify require extensive preparations. People managed without all year round fresh produce of every type fifty years ago, and most people in the world still do. It kinda sucks, but a little inventiveness in the kitchen goes a long way.

The situation in the OP doesn't really qualify as an SHTF situation where you'd need any preparation beyond stocking up on the regular stuff you would buy.

Frankly this doesn't warrant any sort of "Prepper" type behavior at all.


But for those who are interested in being prepared for an actual SHTF* situation, the following are things to consider.

1) Have a supply of bottled water. At least enough for a week for each person. Enough for both drinking as well as brushing your teeth.

2) A supply of shelf-stable non-refrigerated food, again at least a weeks worth. Canned foods, dry goods, etc... Realize that expiration dates do not actually mean anything, particularly on canned foods. Canned foods are technically edible for an indefinite amount of time, assuming the food was not contaminated after the canning process due to a fault in the container. So there isn't actually a great need to rotate your stock. Just throw out any cans which start expanding as those are definitely contaminated. Expiration dates are put on food as a psychological marketing tool to get you to throw them out and buy new ones, even though most food, even fresh foods which do spoil quickly, is perfectly edible long past the expiration date.

3) If you or anybody in your family takes medication, it is an extremely good idea to have an extra supply of any prescription drugs you take in the event that you will be unable to fill the prescription. Having a small supply of over the counter medications and first aid supplies is not a bad idea either.

4) Harsh weather clothing, blankets, tarps, some way to light a fire, and rope. In the event you cannot remain in your home, you will need something in the event you have to sleep outside. A tent isn't a bad idea, if you get a relatively simple one. But most outdoor stores sell very complex ones with a million little pieces that require a degree in engineering to assemble. A tarp, some rope, and sticks can do the job as well.

5) Copies of all your important paperwork. Certified copies of birth certificates, Social security cards, etc... All in a water proof container that you can easily grab. Once the situation is over, saving these documents will make the recover period easier since you wont have to go through those steps.

6) For those who can get one, a good reliable firearm. The main reason is to defend yourself from other people. Even relatively minor incidents often see looting happen, and those people aren't going to limit themselves to just stealing TVs and game consoles. Once it drags out a bit, they're going to start going after anybody with food, water, and other supplies. The second reason to have one is for hunting. If relief doesn't arrive within the first week, food is going to run out fast. Modern food infrastructure does not have much in the way of long term storage, so its going to run out very quickly. Ideally, you want a firearm that can do it all. Preferably an intermediate caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a semi-automatic pistol for backup. More is better, but you might only have enough time to grab one or two guns. Thats why most preppers default choice is an AR or AK variant. 5.56 or 7.62 rifles can cover the most bases while also being widely available in terms of ammunition. The rifles are good for defending yourself, and they are also more than capable of hunting game. 7.62 can handle much larger game than 5.56 of course, and AKs are more reliable and durable weapons, which makes it a superior choice in my opinion, but we're getting into personal preference at that point.

*In this context, we are defining this sort of situation to mean most if not all utilities have been shut off(Water, power, gas, etc...) and there is limited/no access to outside aid.

nfe wrote:
If it gets really bad, you might need to buy some extra milk.

Milk and other perishables is one of the worst things to buy if you're actually trying to be prepared for some sort of disaster or shortage. Having some extra water and non-perishable food on hand is always a good idea, and if whatever disaster you're trying to prepare for doesn't happen, you've got things you can still use anyway.

 Desubot wrote:
are there government plans for those situations (

Aha ha ha hah...

(insert pages and pages of nervous laughter here)

Good one.

---

Personally I'm terrible for keeping food basics in the house so I'll join in the run on the tinned food shelves and get enough in for a couple of weeks of awful 1950s style meals. If it all works out fine then it's not like I can't use the food later anyway,

Luckily I've got no medical issues to account for.

To sum up, I'll be buying beans and instant mashed potato.

I would not encourage nor recommend buying up firearms to defend yourself in the event of a No-Deal Brexit. That's taking the absurd and putting it on a whole other level.

Everything is going to be fine.

[The advice about ensuring you have enough essential medication is sensible, but you should be doing that regardless if there's a Brexit or not.]

AdmiralHalsey wrote:
I would not encourage nor recommend buying up firearms to defend yourself in the event of a No-Deal Brexit. That's taking the absurd and putting it on a whole other level.

Everything is going to be fine.

[The advice about ensuring you have enough essential medication is sensible, but you should be doing that regardless if there's a Brexit or not.]

And nobody was suggesting you do it in response to Brexit. Brexit is not a prepper worthy event.

My suggestions were for anybody who is prepping for an actual SHTF event.

 Hordini wrote:

nfe wrote:
If it gets really bad, you might need to buy some extra milk.

Milk and other perishables is one of the worst things to buy if you're actually trying to be prepared for some sort of disaster or shortage. Having some extra water and non-perishable food on hand is always a good idea, and if whatever disaster you're trying to prepare for doesn't happen, you've got things you can still use anyway.

I was being flippant. Beyond a possible rush on things people buy every couple of days, like milk and bread, and, if we're very unlucky, some prescription medications for a few days, there isn't going to be a problem.

I'm not making a serious suggestion for stocking a bunker in some insane Colorado militiaman's garden.

nfe wrote:

 Hordini wrote:

nfe wrote:
If it gets really bad, you might need to buy some extra milk.

Milk and other perishables is one of the worst things to buy if you're actually trying to be prepared for some sort of disaster or shortage. Having some extra water and non-perishable food on hand is always a good idea, and if whatever disaster you're trying to prepare for doesn't happen, you've got things you can still use anyway.

I was being flippant. Beyond a possible rush on things people buy every couple of days, like milk and bread, and, if we're very unlucky, some prescription medications for a few days, there isn't going to be a problem for anything other than.

I'm not making a serious suggestion for stocking a bunker in some insane Colorado militiaman's garden.

Wait, am i also insane for having a stocked bunker?

Not Online!!! wrote:

nfe wrote:

 Hordini wrote:

nfe wrote:
If it gets really bad, you might need to buy some extra milk.

Milk and other perishables is one of the worst things to buy if you're actually trying to be prepared for some sort of disaster or shortage. Having some extra water and non-perishable food on hand is always a good idea, and if whatever disaster you're trying to prepare for doesn't happen, you've got things you can still use anyway.

I was being flippant. Beyond a possible rush on things people buy every couple of days, like milk and bread, and, if we're very unlucky, some prescription medications for a few days, there isn't going to be a problem.

I'm not making a serious suggestion for stocking a bunker in some insane Colorado militiaman's garden.

Wait, am i also insane for having a stocked bunker?

Flippancy, again.

But probably.

But i am forced too thanks to law!

I didn't know that was still a thing in Switzerland - and presumed the old ones were full of ping pong tables, kids' gang-huts, and porno mags like the ones I've used in Israel.

I've already collected enough whisky and gin to last a few months.

I'm going to lay in a few weeks supplies of tinned food, dried goods, lavatory rolls and bottled water. It's easy and cheap to order that from Tesco Direct and have it delivered.

I did have some weird fantasies of everything breaking down, so that I would have to walk down to the river, fill up jerry cans and purify the water with tablets. I started pricing jerry cans, a Radio Flyer trailer, and an emergency generator. But I think that's taking things a bit too far.

To be honest, I don't believe the UK is ever likely to suffer the kind of SHTF scenario in which a moderate supply of preppedness would be useful. What I mean is, there are short term events such as earthquakes, hurricanes or volcanoes, which significantly disrupt normal life, by do get resolved in weeks at the most. The UK doesn't have this kind of danger at all. The worst that happens to us is a snow-fall disrupting transport for a cuople of days.

Beyond that kind of situation you are looking at asteroid strikes, WW3, pandemics, and zombie apocalyse type events which likely will lead to the complete breakdown of civil society. It's impossible to prepare for long-term survival of such scenarios just by filling your cellar with tinned food and spare batteries. If anything, it might make you a juicy target for looters.

 Hordini wrote:

nfe wrote:
If it gets really bad, you might need to buy some extra milk.

Milk and other perishables is one of the worst things to buy if you're actually trying to be prepared for some sort of disaster or shortage. Having some extra water and non-perishable food on hand is always a good idea, and if whatever disaster you're trying to prepare for doesn't happen, you've got things you can still use anyway.

Milks actually my biggest concern; I've got 2 toddlers so we're pumping through about a litre a day. They are also fussy eaters so I'll need to stock up on what they'll actually eat but it's mostly tinned/frozen anyway.

As mentioned I'm not planning to prep for a large scale disaster, but if things go wrong I'm expecting the supermarkets to be picked clean by panic buyers (self fulfilling prophesy there) and generally nuisance things hard to get hold of.

I'll need to get a full tank of diesel a few days before hand too, since I can see the forecourt having giant queues of people putting £2 of fuel in to keep topped up.

I'm not expecting power cuts (though we import some from France? So who knows).

Milk is also essential for Tea.
I know if you cut off the tea supply there'd be serious results! Just get a few and stick two or three bottles in the freezer and defrost when needed.

I have a spare box of tea in the cupboard.

 Ketara wrote:

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Go down the pub and wait for it all to blow over.

In a nutshell. Prepping for food is a bit pointless. I'll give a few stats to show why.

Right now, we're about 60% self-sufficient in foodstuffs as is right now. 10% of the remaining imports come from outside the EU (and will be unaffected).

I believe it is nearer to 50% The best number I can find is from 2017:

50% UK
30% EU
4% Africa
4% North America
4% South America
4% Asia
2% Rest of Europe
1% Other

This adds up to 99%, so no idea where that is lost.
The primary issue is not what the EU do. They are not going to stop selling to us or importing, it just may be on very poor terms. The issue is that our ports may become totally blocked up with a backlog of a huge influx of customs checks and getting import duties paid. This will impact almost all imports, whatever the origin. I think the only ones that won't be impacted, or will be less hit, will be fresh air freight, such as fresh, highly perishable, fruit and veg from Africa such as soft fruit. You may be fine getting grapes!

 Steve steveson wrote:

I believe it is nearer to 50% The best number I can find is from 2017:

The figures I was pulling were also 2017, so it's probably a difference in methodology. I found another one that qualified as being 75% self-sufficient if you cut out 'exotics' like avocadoes and tea. It really depends, I suspect, on how you define 'self-sufficient' and group items together. We might be self-sufficient in 'cheese', but if you qualify expensive French cheese as a necessity, the self-sufficiency percentage goes down. Or something like that.

 Steve steveson wrote:
I have a spare box of tea in the cupboard.

 Ketara wrote:

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Go down the pub and wait for it all to blow over.

In a nutshell. Prepping for food is a bit pointless. I'll give a few stats to show why.

Right now, we're about 60% self-sufficient in foodstuffs as is right now. 10% of the remaining imports come from outside the EU (and will be unaffected).

I believe it is nearer to 50% The best number I can find is from 2017:

50% UK
30% EU
4% Africa
4% North America
4% South America
4% Asia
2% Rest of Europe
1% Other

This adds up to 99%, so no idea where that is lost.
The primary issue is not what the EU do. They are not going to stop selling to us or importing, it just may be on very poor terms. The issue is that our ports may become totally blocked up with a backlog of a huge influx of customs checks and getting import duties paid. This will impact almost all imports, whatever the origin. I think the only ones that won't be impacted, or will be less hit, will be fresh air freight, such as fresh, highly perishable, fruit and veg from Africa such as soft fruit. You may be fine getting grapes!

At fear of running into the Politics Ban, HMRC have stated officially that the plan is to wave ALL EU goods through ithout checks in the event of a hard Brexit - this has serious knock on effects for negotiating free trade deals as WTO rules will require everyone to get the same (tariff free) entry but it does mean no mass blockage at ports.

Regarding milk, you could always get a couple of cartons of UHT milk for back up- it doesn't need go be kept in a fridge until opened. Makes for a grim cuppa, but better than nowt.

 Ketara wrote:

 Steve steveson wrote:

I believe it is nearer to 50% The best number I can find is from 2017:

The figures I was pulling were also 2017, so it's probably a difference in methodology. I found another one that qualified as being 75% self-sufficient if you cut out 'exotics' like avocadoes and tea. It really depends, I suspect, on how you define 'self-sufficient' and group items together. We might be self-sufficient in 'cheese', but if you qualify expensive French cheese as a necessity, the self-sufficiency percentage goes down. Or something like that.

I am fairly sure that counting tea as an "exotic" in the UK is grounds for having funding revoked and citizenship questioned If I remember correctly, even during WWII tea imports were highly prioritised fof morale reasons. If tea imports suffer from a hard exit, then the felt impact amongst the population is likely to be huge.

--------

The way I have always thought of surviving a true SHTF situation is not to fortify everything, but work with my local community and freely offer services and help to those who look for it. My family has medical skills that will be useful, we can offer them to anyone who comes looking. No one will need to loot anything if they can just get it anyway. In addition, I live in a rural community, so we will certainly have a food surplus that can be traded, and the community has it's own borehole for safe water. Being rural, there is also an unusual high number of firearms to start with, so hunting and protection are there if absolutely necessary.

But then the UK has a much less individualistic culture than the US, so I feel cooperation is much more the norm over protecting your patch.

nfe wrote:
I didn't know that was still a thing in Switzerland - and presumed the old ones were full of ping pong tables, kids' gang-huts, and porno mags like the ones I've used in Israel.

You underestimate the Paranoia of the collective swiss hivemind.

hillarious artilcle name in the NZZ:
"The EU plays on time and the UK has no plan."


Has no plan is also colloquially used for saying here that you have not the slightest clue or idea what to do.

Well, I've got a new box of Yorkshire Teabags. So I'm sorted.

Also, Sainsburys is right out the back of my flat, so I'm first in line when the looting starts.