Just under 87 million pints of beer in the UK have been thrown away since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Based on £3.81 a pint on average, that is a total loss of £331 million according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).
Barrelled beer not sold before its best-before date is being returned to breweries to dispose of, with most pasteurized beers lasting 3 to 4 months.
For unpasteurized beer and real ale, however, their window of opportunity is only 6 to 9 weeks.
Chief Executive of BBPA Emma McClarkin called for a reduction in beer duty to save the industry.
“Our sector is in limbo. And at several points in the last 12 months, pubs and breweries have effectively had to pour their revenues down the drain.”
“We have no idea or clarity from the government on when we can re-open again. What we do know is if we cannot re-open in the near future, without further government grant support and extensions to the job retention scheme, pubs and brewers will no longer have the cash left to survive and a wave of closures will be inevitable with jobs lost.”
Ms. Clarkin has repeatedly stated the inefficacy of the British government in supporting hospitality businesses throughout the pandemic and is not the only one.
Co-owner of The Murderers Pub in Norwich, Phil Cutter, estimates his business will have lost between £12,000 and £15,000 in stock by the time they reopen.
“We have got a little bit of money coming in from council grants, and obviously the money from the Government has helped, but it doesn’t go anywhere near enough to try and redress the money we have lost since March last year,” said Mr. Cutter.
But scientists are cautious of the repercussions that the opening of the hospitality industry too early will have, much to the dismay of independent and national businesses alike.
It is still unsure when Britain’s hospital industry will open again but it is expected that we could witness more businesses closing before the summer.
Madeleine Raine
Featured image courtesy of Radovan via Unsplash. Image license is available here. This image has in no way been altered.
Madeleine Raine
Mads is a 23-year-old History graduate from Newcastle University. She is passionate about current affairs and British news, with a keen interest in investigative features. Aside from this, she is an avid reader, photographer, and yogi.