New rules delaying British meat exports

Scottish fisherman have suffered lengthy delays in shipping cargoes to Europe in the aftermath of Brexit. And now British meat is facing crippling holdups from extra red tape at the border.

The U.K.’s departure from the European Union has ushered in new restrictions, with customs checks and health certificates now required for meat exports. That’s left some consignments languishing in queues, with a member of the British Meat Processors Association recently reporting that one cargo was about to be returned after waiting five days for clearance into Ireland, the group said Monday in a statement.

“Every hour a lorry load of meat is delayed increases the chance of that order either being reduced in price, canceled and returned or, in the most severe cases, thrown away and ending up in landfill,” the association said.

Some EU customers are already signaling that they’ll switch from British meat to products from Spain or Ireland.