THE United Kingdom will finally roll out post-Brexit border checks today on food, plant and animal products imported from the European Union, fanning fears of more price hikes, empty shelves and even Valentine's Day flower shortages.
The long-awaited move will affect dinner table staples from across the Channel, such as ham, sausages and cured meat, as well as butter, cheese and cream. It will also affect cut flowers.
The changes have been delayed five times because of fears about the knock-on effect on the sluggish UK economy and inflation, which remains elevated amid a broader cost of living crisis.
From today, companies must present certificates for sanitary and phytosanitary imports at the UK border. Some goods from Northern Ireland will also face full Customs controls.
London had postponed the checks since leaving the EU's Customs union and single market in January 2021, but UK exports have faced controls for products heading in the opposite direction.
Marco Forgione, director-general at the Institute of Export and International Trade, which represents UK importers, says most companies were "very" worried about the negative fallout.
"Over 70 per cent (of member firms) are very concerned about the impact of these changes," Forgione said, citing a survey by the organisation.
This week's changes will cost UK businesses approximately £330 million a year in additional charges, according to government estimates.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative administration insists that this will not have a significant impact on food inflation. But that has not allayed concerns.
Not all companies will be affected in the same way, although there is increasing alarm among fruit and flower producers, which rely on imported plants from EU nations, particularly the Netherlands.
The National Farmers' Union argues such horticultural businesses face an "existential threat" from the rule changes, The Guardian newspaper reported. Dutch flower-growing association VGB has also written to London to express concern.
"Delays in transit times and insufficient care in handling these goods could result in substantial damage and losses," the VGB wrote, according to part of the letter shared with AFP.
The organisation also slammed the insufficient number of border control points and urged another postponement, while British members of parliament asked the government to guarantee that red tape will not mean no red roses for Valentine's Day.
"Roses from the EU are classed as a low-risk good, so will be exempt from controls at the border and not affected by these changes," the government said last week.
However, not all sectors have been critical of the new UK checks. The livestock sector complains that exports currently face far greater scrutiny heading into the EU, than EU imports heading the other way.
"For the past three years, British farmers have faced the full reach of EU controls on our exports, while the EU has enjoyed continued easy access to the UK marketplace," said National Farmers' Union of England and Wales president Minette Batters.
"This is not just an issue about competitiveness, with our farmers faced with additional costs and paperwork, but also for our nation's biosecurity."
Further down the line, the government plans physical UK border checks from late April.
The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), an industry body, anticipates that "random" border checks will be carried out, but "consignments will not face rejection or be turned back" during the initial phase.
However, it warns that there is a "significant likelihood of disruption to supply chains" from April, according to a BMPA spokesman, citing the need for more veterinary certificates.
"Every indication we have is that there is a lack of veterinary capacity among EU exporting countries," the spokesman added.
Almost half of the pork consumed in Britain comes from the EU, according to the BMPA.
British Retail Consortium director of food and sustainability Andrew Opie expects costs will rise and smaller players may not be fully prepared.
"While we are not anticipating widespread problems... there will be some smaller suppliers who may still not be prepared for the changes," said Opie.
However, he also warned that "the checks will create additional costs for retailers" who have already ramped up prices due to elevated inflation.
The writer is from AFP
