It has been reported that the government is to delay controversial new border checks which were due to come into effect at the end of April.
A Defra presentation seen by both the Guardian and the FT allegedly outlined plans to avoid large queues of lorries at ports caused by the checks. The FT said, ‘Just over a fortnight before physical inspections are set to begin, the presentation last week made clear that the new border systems will not be fully ready. In order to get around the problem, the government said it would ensure the rate of checks was initially “set to zero for all commodity groups” — essentially switching off large parts of the risk management system, in what it called a “phased implementation approach”.’
The Guardian reported that, ‘Defra admitted to port health authorities that “challenges” still remained within its systems for registering imports of food and animal products. These challenges could trigger unmanageable levels of inspections, overwhelming ports, it was reported. “There is a potential for significant disruption on day one if all commodity codes are turned on at once,” it said.’
The introduction of post-Brexit border checks has already been delayed five times, and the final system is currently due to come into effect in October. Although it has not been confirmed how long the new checks could be delayed for, the presentation suggested that the new system would be ‘progressively turned on’ for different groups and categories of product.
A Defra spokesperson told The Guardian, “Taking a pragmatic approach to introducing our new border checks minimises disruption, protects our biosecurity and benefits everyone – especially traders. There has been extensive engagement with businesses over the past year – with our approach welcomed by several trade associations and port authorities. We will continue to work with and support businesses throughout this process to maintain the smooth flow of imported goods.”
The British Chambers of Commerce called for “crystal clear communication” from Defra on its plans following the reports.
