UK again delays post-Brexit import trade controls

Safety and security declarations will be required from July 1 next year.

The United Kingdom left the European Union’s (EU) single market at the beginning of 2021 and the immediate introduction of checks on British goods going to Europe hit sales hard.

Introducing import checks on goods coming to Britain would compound problems stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and a shortage of truck drivers in the run up to Christmas, the logistics industry had warned.

Industry sources in the logistics and customs sector told a global newswire that the UK government’s infrastructure was not ready to conduct the full checks by October 1.

The industry argues that while European producers can still sell to Britain without the extra cost and hassle of a full customs border, British producers face the reverse. First-half sales of food and drink to Germany, Spain and Italy were all down by around half compared with 2019, it says.

The government said it had introduced a new ‘pragmatic’ timetable to give companies time to recover from the pandemic.

British businesses, and customers, have complained in recent months that a shortage of workers in logistics, driving and warehouses has led to long delays in deliveries, with some supermarkets and restaurants struggling to stock a full range.

“Businesses will now have more time to prepare for these controls which will be phased in throughout 2022,” Brexit minister David Frost said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)