The British government announced on Tuesday that inspections of fruit and vegetables entering the country from the European Union will not commence until the end of October, providing a
reprieve to the concerned food industry grappling with potential post-Brexit port delays.
Scheduled to begin on Wednesday, the first phase of the new post-Brexit import system for food and fresh products has faced five previous postponements due to concerns about border disruptions and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Initially, EU exporters of medium-risk animal and plant products will need to present export health and phytosanitary certificates to British authorities.
Physical checks on shipments will only initiate on April 30, followed by a requirement for safety and security certificates from October 31. Businesses in the UK, mindful of delays during the EU's initiation of import checks from Britain in 2021, have cautioned about potential disruptions, citing unpreparedness on the part of EU exporters and potential inadequacies in Britain's port infrastructure.
Last week, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) added to the complexity by unexpectedly reclassifying certain fruits and vegetables from "low" to "medium" risk on its UK Plant Health Information Portal. Despite this, a temporary "easement" was implemented, allowing the products to be treated as low risk, exempting them from pre-notification requirements, phytosanitary certification, or physical inspections until October 31, 2024. The reference to the specific date was later removed, leaving the duration of the easement uncertain.
Defra stated on Tuesday that the easement is anticipated to remain in place until "at least" October 2024, and the government will provide the industry with a minimum of three months' notice for any changes. While delaying physical checks beyond October might prevent disruptions during a potential national election campaign, it could pose challenges later on, especially as 70% of fresh produce imported by Britain from the EU occurs during the winter months.
The Institute of Export and International Trade expressed concern about the handling of these changes, emphasizing the lack of communication regarding the reclassification of fruit and vegetable products at a crucial time when businesses are gearing up for a significant modernization of the UK border. The Fresh Produce Consortium estimated that the reclassification could add £200 million ($253 million) annually to import costs, impacting consumers. The UK government, however, has asserted that the inflationary impact of the new Border Target Operating Model system will be less than 0.2 percentage points over a three-year period. Photo by Onef9day, Wikimedia commons.