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Sort out the border, urges Logistics UK

[ March 28, 2024   //   ]

Logistics UK is urging the government to clarify its post-Brexit border arrangements with the EU. It says that its members still lack critical information about how the new Border Target Operating Model is to work.

“For the past seven years, since the Brexit vote, the logistics industry has been urging government to clarify all the arrangements which will be needed to move goods smoothly across the UK’s border with the EU,” explains head of trade, Nichola Mallon. “Yet despite ongoing representations to the government’s departments involved in the new border arrangements, which will see more changes introduced at the end of next month, our members are still in the dark.

“We are one month away from the introduction of physical checks on EU imports and government has still not told our members – businesses which move all the food and other goods in the supply chain – what import charges it will apply on every consignment they bring across the border and how this Common User Charge will be administered. Concerns still remain about the capabilities and capacity at border control posts to efficiently process these perishable goods. These are business-critical issues which will impact the movement of goods across the UK’s borders and, potentially, into stores and homes nationwide.”

About 30% of all the food consumed in the UK comes from the EU, according to the British Retail Consortium, including almost half of the fresh vegetables and the majority of fresh fruit sold.

“Fresh produce cannot be left languishing in vehicles for long periods of time – we need to be able to move it effectively to our customers with as little delay as possible. Add in the challenge of negotiating traffic jams caused by holiday traffic, and the introduction of the new EU Entry/Exit System at the Short Straits planned for October, and the risks to supply chains and potential for product shortages in supermarkets becomes very real. 

“Logistics operators need the support of government to ensure that the UK’s borders do not become a barrier to the movement of goods.”

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