Four years after the formal departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, businesses in the kingdom are once again facing the consequences of Brexit.
The British government is finally implementing the post-Brexit regime at the border, where checks will be introduced for imports of plants, meat, and other animal products from the EU, for the first time since the UK’s departure from the bloc.Called the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), this regime, delayed five times, will be implemented in three stages, starting with documentation requirements for EU businesses sending animal and plant products to the UK as of January 31. This will be followed by physical checks in April and safety and security declarations in October.Despite the long preparation, many EU firms appear to not be prepared for these changes – with fears that some may decide to stop exporting to the UK due to the additional costs and new bureaucracies.Shane Brennan, Director of Communications at the Global Cold Chain Alliance, says that some firms will take this step, but only if they can pass on the costs to customers in the UK. “For others, the logical decision will be to reduce and cease sales to customers in the UK and focus on other buyers in the single market,” warned Brennan, which could lead to a “erosion of variety” available in British supermarkets, according to Politico.
Changes will limit imports from the EU
Marco Forgione, director of the Institute of Export and International Trade, signals concerns from both the British and those on the continental side of the English Channel. “We have organized a series of events with businesses from the UK and EU in the past months and, unfortunately, we have found that anxiety about these changes has increased and preparation seems to have declined by about 23%,” he said.According to a recent survey, 54% of businesses in the food and beverage industry feel “terrible” about these changes, and another 21% even worse. There is also confusion about how the new regulations will be implemented starting at the end of January, as physical checks will not be introduced until April.
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