The UK government is ready to announce a fourth delay in physical checks on fresh food imported by the EU amid reports from industry that neither technology nor infrastructure resources are ready for the start of the next phase of Brexit in July.
Brexit Opportunity Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg is expected to present the move as a use of the UK’s newly opened independent powers to control the trade border after leaving the EU and the single market.
He is also expected to say that this is a response to fears about the supply chain in the trade environment, which is already affected by the war in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis.
Delays could delay the full implementation of Brexit controls until 2023, sources said, removing physical checks and potentially easing the requirement to import products, animals, food and feed (IPAFFS) documents.
Earlier this month, the disruption of a key post-Brexit IT system, the GVMS, combined with the shutdown of P&O’s ferry routes, led to long delays for freight traffic trying to cross the English Channel.
Industry sources say small suppliers in the EU are not prepared for physical border checks or are unable to obtain the veterinary certificates that will be required for fresh foods ranging from artisanal cheeses to olive oil and dried meats from countries such as Spain and Italy. .
“EU suppliers will be affected in exactly the same way as British fish and food suppliers last year. The difference here is that the United Kingdom has no way of helping EU suppliers, “said one industry representative.
Another said: “This is good news for us. They obviously had problems with GVMS in general and don’t want an egg on their faces. “
Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) inspections have been in place in all EU countries with which the United Kingdom shares a common border, including France, Belgium and Ireland, since the Brexit withdrawal agreement was implemented on 1 January 2021.
The approach to the edge of the cliffs has left exporters of fish and other fresh food in chaos with a lack of customs agents and veterinary staff to verify that products meet EU standards. However, post-Brexit checks on fresh food in the United Kingdom were not introduced for import, being postponed in 2020 and twice in 2021.
According to the current border plan, physical checks on meat were to begin on 1 July and on dairy products on 1 September, and all other foods, including fish and compound foods, were to be subject to checks on 1 November.
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