London, UK: With just two months to go before new import checks are due to be introduced, the Labour Party has written to business secretary Kemi Badenoch to ask her to set out the government’s plans for new import checks as a matter of urgency, according to an article in the Independent.
Labour says the government’s handling of the plans the Border Target Operating Model issue has been “absolutely shambolic” and “chaotic”. The new model will introduce the changes by introducing a new regime of sanitary, phytosanitary and security controls on imports. It will be introduced in three phases, with the first set due to come into force at the end of October this year.
However, speculation has grown that the government will push back the October checks until the beginning of next year (the fifth time they would be delayed) but the ministers have yet to confirm or deny the rumours, despite the approaching deadline.
Gareth Thomas, shadow international trade minister, said: “The government’s handling of this important issue has been absolutely shambolic. They have delayed new border checks time and again, creating huge uncertainty for businesses, who are already struggling as a result of Conservative economic mismanagement,”
“With the deadlines for new checks just months away, it is unacceptable that businesses have not received a clear update from the government on whether the new border arrangements are even going to be introduced. The Tories’ trade barriers are stunting economic growth.”
Tom Southall, executive director, Cold Chain Federation, told the Independent: “Although the reported three-month delay to the first raft of import requirements on goods from the 31st of October is welcomed and would avoid the chance of disruption to supplies in the run-up to Christmas as well as cost rises for consumers, the government’s failure to either confirm or deny these reports is causing confusion to businesses both in the UK and EU.”
“Based on reports at the start of August, many businesses are assuming there will be a delay and adjusting their preparations accordingly, therefore the Government must provide certainty on whether this delay will happen or not to prevent the risk of an even greater level of unpreparedness and disruption should these rumours not be realised,” he said.
The draft strategy includes the introduction of a charge of up to £43 for each consignment from January 2023. The Fresh Produce Consortium believes that the fresh produce industry could face up to £11m in extra costs each year as a result of this charge.
