Storm at the ports will get worse, says Gove
... as bosses despair at post-Brexit red tape
MICHAEL Gove warned of ‘significant disruption’ at the border last night as a growing number of firms said they were in crisis because of f new post-Brexit red tape.
The Cabinet Office minister said the difficulties, particularly in moving goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, would get worse before they get better.
Seafood exporters said they had been hit by a ‘perfect storm’ of bureaucracy, IT problems and confusion since the transition period ended on January 1.
This had led to dozens of lorries failing to leave Scotland on time to go to France and fish rotting in ports because of the hold-ups. Meanwhile, the parcel courier DPD was forced to pause some delivery services into the EU – including Ireland – because of pressure caused by new paperwork.
The firm said Boris Johnson’s divorce settlement with Brussels had led to more complex processes at the border.
And hauliers described being ‘overwhelmed’ by red tape due to new checks on deliveries to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. They claim the threatened Brexit ports chaos is beginning to materialise with the French set to toughen up customs checks next week, causing a ‘crunch point’.
Even though the Prime Minister agreed a zero-tariff trade deal with
‘Ironing out the disruption’
Brussels on Christmas Eve, there is now a string of extra checks on goods going between Britain and the Continent. This includes catch certificates and export health certificates, as well as other documents such as shipment declarations and a certificate of origin.
In addition, in order to avoid a hard border with the republic, Mr Johnson agreed that Northern Ireland would remain in the EU single market, which has meant checks on goods arriving from Great Britain.
The problems are starting to become apparent now because trade was much lower at the start of the New year.
Last night Mr Gove insisted the Government was working to resolve the difficulties.
‘That work is ongoing, it is all part of the process of leaving the European Union,’ he said. ‘We said that there would be some initial disruption, we’re ironing it out but the situation will get worse before it gets better.’
Mr Gove told Sky News that disruption at Britain’s border had not been ‘too profound’ yet. But he admitted: ‘It is the case that in the weeks ahead, we expect that there will be significant additional disruption – particularly on the Dover-Calais route.’
He said the Government would ‘redouble our efforts to communicate the precise paperwork that’s required, in order to make sure that trade can flow freely’. Seafood exporters warned that dozens of lorries of fish have failed to leave Scotland on time, with some stuck overnight after extra documentation contributed to hold-ups.
Scottish seafood firms said their businesses were in crisis because the long wait meant they were failing to get the fresh fish to their customers in time. There are fears that the trade, worth more than £1billion a year, is on the brink of collapse because of the new rules.
Extra paperwork has also added hundreds of pounds in costs to every shipment. Donna Fordyce, chief executive of industry body Seafood Scotland, said: ‘ It’s a perfect storm for Scottish seafood exporters.’
Some supermarkets in Northern Ireland have struggled to import fresh goods from Britain because of the amount of customs declarations and health certificates they now need to complete.
Haulage industry body Logistics UK said deliveries were being delayed as lorries arrived in Belfast with incomplete paperwork. DPD, meanwhile, said that up to
‘The chaos has begun’
20 per cent of its parcels had incorrect or incomplete data, meaning they had to be returned to customers, and announced a pause to its road service into Europe and Ireland until Wednesday.
DFDS, one of the busiest shipping companies in Europe, issued a warning to drivers on Friday that many vehicles were being held up or turned away from Dover, Calais and Dunkirk. Dover based freight expert and shipper John Shirley said: ‘The chaos has begun. Organising even the simplest load to Europe has become an almost impossible task.’