Frustration at further delay to EU food imports border checks

Deadlines for border checks have been postponed again for imported goods entering Great Britain from the EU.

Checks on agri-food imports, due to be implemented from 1 October, have been delayed until 1 January 2022.

The EU has been carrying out checks on GB goods exported to the EU since the beginning of the year.

See also: How has the UK’s exit from the EU affected trade so far?

Export health certificates, phytosanitary certificates and checks at border control posts for imports of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) goods, which includes products of animal and plant origin, have all been delayed until 1 July 2022.

These delays are the latest in a line of several postponements over the course of this year and have brought further criticism from food producers and manufacturers over unfair competition from imports that do not face the costs and administrative burden GB exporters to the EU have to deal with.

Once the checks do come in, goods entering from the EU will face the same level of controls than those from the rest of the world.

In a written statement on 14 September, Lord Frost, minister of state at the Cabinet Office, said: “The government initially announced a timetable for the introduction of the final stages of those controls on 11 March. The government’s own preparations, in terms of systems, infrastructure and resourcing, remain on track to meet that timetable.

“However, the pandemic has had longer-lasting effects on businesses, both in the UK and in the EU, than many observers expected in March.

“There are also pressures on global supply chains, caused by a wide range of factors, including the pandemic and the increased costs of global freight transport. These pressures are being especially felt in the agrifood sector.”

Industry reaction

Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) spokesman Tony Goodger said: “The further postponement to the introduction of border controls for meat and poultry products travelling from the EU to GB provides businesses in Europe with an extended grace period from the need to complete costly export documentation, while UK processors that continue to export into Europe still have these cost pressures.

“This will make UK-origin meat and chicken less competitive in the EU. Furthermore, companies that trade in both GB and the EU will need to spread the cost of EU exporting across their businesses, which could well lead to EU imports having a further competitive advantage in the domestic market.”

Ian Wright CBE, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, said: “Many food and drink manufacturers will be dismayed by the lateness of this substantial change. Businesses have invested very significant time and money in preparing for the new import regime on 1 October 2021. Now, with just 17 days to go, the rug has been pulled. This move penalises those who followed government advice and rewards those who ignored it. As recently as yesterday, officials assured us that import checks would be implemented as planned.

“The repeated failure to implement full UK border controls on EU imports since 1 January 2021 undermines trust and confidence among businesses. Worse, it actually helps the UK’s competitors. The asymmetric nature of border controls facing exports and imports distorts the market and places many UK producers at a competitive disadvantage with EU producers.

“We welcome the government’s acknowledgement that supply chains are under extreme pressure, but this is to a large extent caused by labour and skills shortages in every part of the food chain. Government must put in place financial support to help prepare for these new deadlines of import controls – industry has invested three times in preparing, only to have wasted this money despite assurances from the government there would be no delay.”

Nick Allen, chief executive at the British Meat Packers Association, said: “Given the difficulties we have in this country at the moment with haulage and labour shortages, it is understandable the government would want to delay a process that may cause further disruption.

“It has been clear for some time that border control posts would not be ready for the beginning of January, so pushing the need for this back to July is also logical. However, the fact that we have the costs of exporting product and importers will not have those costs all makes food production in this country less competitive.”