Small importers cross fingers for light at the end of tunnel

THE mood music over Brexit may have changed on Thursday with talk of a possible deal. But figures for call volumes to Kildare Chamber of Commerce, seen by Ergo, suggest that the fear of a no-deal departure had really begun to crystallise over the previous week.

Brexit has been a hot topic for more than three years, but the real fear is that many small Irish companies are not in a state of readiness for the worst potential outcomes.

A report from the chamber — the country’s fourth biggest, with members employing 37,000 — showed it had received a 60pc increase in calls to its offices in the past two weeks, many from “nervous” companies.

The majority of calls were from firms with queries regarding exports and imports.

Many were concerned because they had not registered for an EORI (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) number, which is required for businesses to import or export goods into or out of the EU — in other words, the UK post-Brexit.

Instead of the usual four or five Brexitrelated calls per week querying export documentation, the chamber was suddenly receiving up to 70 a week.

Much of this last-minute panic, it seems, is coming from firms that import from the UK, rather than exporters, on whom all the focus has been in recent months.

Ill-prepared importers can only hope if Brexit talks do go into the infamous Brussels tunnel, that the parties will emerge out the other end with a reassuring solution that protects companies from their worst fears.