It is already a fact: Britain starts to control EU imported goods - animal and vegetable products. Traders are concerned and fear new chaos.
More than three years after Brexit, Britain will start today to control animal and plant products imported from the EU, as confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture. In addition, food importers will have to pay a fee ("common user charge") on some products such as salami, cheese and yogurt, but also on flowers - up to 145 pounds (169 euros) per shipment.
Experts and companies warn that this will lengthen delivery times, increase bureaucracy and increase costs - with the British ultimately paying for them. According to the estimates of the insurance company "Alianz Trade" the new rules could cost British businesses up to two billion pounds and fuel inflation. A ten percent growth in import costs is expected in the first year.
The step was repeatedly postponed
Checks, which were introduced in the EU immediately after Brexit, have been repeatedly postponed in Great Britain, notes ARD. The reason - the lack of infrastructure and personnel.
The portal "Politico" informs that immediately before the start of the inspections, many questions still remain open. Millions have been invested in the ports to build control facilities and now there are serious concerns about whether these costs can be covered.
Great Britain left the EU at the end of January 2020. After the initial transition phase from 2021, the country is no longer a member of the European internal market and the customs union. A last-minute treaty nonetheless provided for a largely unhindered trade partnership. But especially at the beginning there were many problems in trade, ARD points out. Traders also complained about increased bureaucracy and new tariffs in some areas.
Trade unions are worried
The British Ports Union and the British Chamber of Shipping have warned that there is an urgent need to access the government's post-Brexit IT system. Otherwise, they have no way of knowing how many goods to invoice and to whom to submit the invoices. A number of trade unions fear new border chaos and new costs, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.
"The British government is fully convinced that the facilities, infrastructure and systems along the border will be ready for the introduction of the new border checks from April 30,", the Ministry of Agriculture said for its part, as ARD writes.