LONDON (AP) – Britain announced on Tuesday it was delaying the start of post-Brexit border controls on food imports from the European Union, saying the trade disruption in the coronavirus pandemic has already put pressure on companies .
The delay means that there will be no formalities and controls on EU agricultural and animal products that were supposed to start from October until next year.
The UK said the “new pragmatic timetable” would ease the pressure on companies facing supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic.
The procedure on plant and animal products that was to begin on October 1 has been moved to January 1, according to the government. He said customs declarations and controls will be introduced on January 1 as planned, but no security declarations will be required until July 1.
Brexit Minister David Frost said “we want companies to focus on their recovery from the pandemic rather than tackling new requirements at the border.”
He said the pandemic “has had more lasting impacts on businesses, both in the UK and the European Union, than many observers expected.”
“There is also pressure on global supply chains, caused by a wide range of factors, including the pandemic and rising costs of global freight transport. These pressures are being felt especially in the agri-food sector.”
Britain has experienced sporadic but widespread supply problems in recent months, with gaps on supermarket shelves, chicken-free fast food establishments and some dry pubs with a full selection of beer. Experts cite a perfect storm of factors, including Brexit and COVID-19, that lead to labor shortages in key areas such as truck transportation.
Since Britain left the EU single market in late 2020, it is assumed that block imports will be subject to the same controls as goods from anywhere else in the world.
This is the second time the UK has postponed the introduction of some of the controls agreed in its EU divorce agreement. It has already indefinitely suspended controls on food products going to Northern Ireland from the rest of the country. This has sparked a dispute with the EU, which threatened legal action.
Talks between the UK and the EU to resolve differences over trade rules have made little progress. The British Conservative government has accused the 27-nation bloc of being unnecessarily “purist” in its approach to the rules, while the EU says Britain is not implementing the deal Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed to.
British chambers of commerce called the latest delay in border controls “sensible”. But the UK Food and Beverage Federation accused the government of blinding companies that had prepared for checks.
“This measure penalizes those who followed government advice and rewards those who ignored it,” CEO Ian Wright said.
He added that “the asymmetrical nature of border controls facing exports and imports distorts the market and puts many British producers at a competitive disadvantage with EU producers”.
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