London, UK: The British Meat Processors Association has warned that the new requirement for meat importers to give pre-notification of the arrival of a consignment into the UK from 30 April could lead to meat lorries “idling in a lorry park with the refrigerator unit running for 24 hours”.
The requirement to give 24-hour pre-notification to the Border Control Post is part of the government’s Border Target Operating Model, designed is to simplify and improve the process for importing goods into Great Britain.
Peter Hardwick, trade policy adviser at the BMPA, told Farming Today on Radio 4 that the association was concerned that the control post might not be open 24/7. This fact, combined with the pre-notification requirement, “is going to create problems”, says Hardwick. Any additional waiting time for lorries will also increase costs for hauliers, he says.
“And it’s going to create problems for retailers who are going to be told, “sorry, we can’t actually now deliver to you on a Monday morning because there weren’t any officials to do the checks on Sunday.” The delay could lead to 20% of the shelf life of the product being lost, says Hardwick.
Another concern is that the Border Control Post will not be ready when some physical checks – possibly at a low level – are introduced in May. The association is also worried that EU exporters will not have enough access to vets to sign off the documentation.
“All of these things add to cost and slow down the delivery of food into the UK,” he says. “Nobody is suggesting that we don’t need checks but the issue here is perhaps how compatible the system is to the movement of fast-moving fresh food into the UK.”
“We’ve asked the government time and again to be aware of the risk of this and we haven’t had a clear answer. What we get is, “Oh well, businesses will have to contact the Border Control Post and see if they’ll allow the derogation for a minimum of four hours. We’ve had no indication that that derogation is going to be permitted and we feel the government itself needs to take control of this to ensure there isn’t disruption.”
The timeline for the introduction of checks this year:
- 31 January 2024 The introduction of health certification on imports of medium risk animal products, plants, plant products and high-risk food and feed of non-animal origin from the EU. The removal of pre notification requirements for low risk plant and plant products from the EU
- 30 April 2024 The introduction of documentary and risk-based identity and physical checks on medium risk animal products, plants, plant products and high risk food and feed of non-animal origin from the EU. Existing inspections of high-risk plants/plant products from the EU will move from destination to Border Control Posts
- 31 October 2024 The requirement for Safety and Security declarations for imports into Great Britain from the EU or from other territories where the waiver applies will come into force from 31 October 2024 as set out in the original Target Operating Model.
