Post-Brexit checks to drive up costs in UK

The full cost of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union was set to become clearer on Wednesday, when the nation started conducting border checks on animal products, food, fruit, and plants imported from the bloc.

London had deferred starting the checks five times since leaving the EU’s customs union and single market in January 2021, saying they would add to delays and costs that would harm the nation’s economy.

Karin Goodburn, director-general of the Chilled Food Association, told The Associated Press that the checks would add a day to the shipping process for perishable items including butter, cheese, cream, cut flowers and meat, and therefore slash a day from their supermarket shelf lives. This will cost British businesses around 330 million pounds ($420 million) a year, the UK government’s own estimates suggest. However, London insists the post-Brexit checks will only drive inflation up by 0.2 percentage point over three years.

Marco Forgione, director-general of the Institute of Export and International Trade, a trade association that represents UK importers, was not so sure that price rises will be small. He said a survey that his organization conducted suggests almost all importers expect negative outcomes and price rises.

“Over 70 percent (of member companies) are very concerned about the impact of these changes,” he told Agence France-Presse.

UK importers will now need to adhere to post-Brexit rules that include additional red tape, and needing them to produce certificates signed by veterinarians attesting to the safety of their imports. Importers will also have to pay government inspectors up to 43 pounds for a consignment to be vetted, the Financial Times reported.

The National Farmers’ Union said the country’s horticultural sector, which imports plants and seeds extensively from EU nations, faces an “existential threat” because of the extra costs and lost time, The Guardian reported.

The VGB flower-growing association, which represents plant growers in the Netherlands, said in a letter to the British government that the checks will cause massive damage to its members’ exports.

While the UK has repeatedly put off the customs checks triggered by its exit from the EU, the bloc has not been as reluctant, and has conducted them since January 2021.

Tom Southall, executive director of the Cold Chain Federation, told the BBC that the UK government clearly put the border checks off for as long as possible. “There’s never been a good time to do it, which is why it’s been delayed five times,” he said.