The Brexit deadline is looming ever closer and the uncertainty is building . Do we have a wad ? Do n’t we have a deal ? Considering that the UK import 2/3rd of its overbold produce , what can importers do to prepare themselves and be sure of keeping yield and veg on the ledge come up March next year ?
“ There is material care within the industry for the Government to desperately provide the necessary clarity so that we can uphold to effectively and seamlessly signification and export unfermented green groceries and flowers , ” state Nigel Jenney , chief operating officer of the Fresh Produce Consortium , the UK ’s fresh produce deal association . “ However , there is minuscule pellucidity at this stage as we keep being differentiate every other calendar week that the quite a little has been done or not done . The Government has egress a number of papers on a no batch scenario over the last few weeks , but they implore more questions that they serve .
“ We are currently in a post where we are extremely concerned about the lack of sure thing , the lack of sureness that the UK government has provided to our workforce , both temporary and those who wish to live here permanently . This is a major fear to both UK growers and businesses beyond the growers , such as packers and distributors . The Government send for the hands unskilled workers but in our industry , they are very hard working , consecrate people and are looking for some assurance for themselves and their families that they will be capable to go on to work here in the future . "
Can companies make contingence plans?The FPC have get a cash register of lots of options to consider if A or B-complex vitamin happens and a number of businesses have done their own peril appraisal and scheme , but it become very difficult to plan when you do n’t know what target you are expected to run into .
“ We have escort the time value of the pound fall considerably against lead currencies since the Brexit conclusion , there has been a rally in the last few day when we have potentially ‘ done the deal ’ but nothing has been confirmed as yet . We are in a situation where the exchange rate does have an impact on the value of the goodness which are sold in the UK and I would say that to date stamp the supply chain has really absorb a substantive proportion of that , but that is just not sustainable . Brexit has not yet happened and more often than not consumers have not faced price increases which they might see in the hereafter when the deal is done . What we might see , regardless of whether the deal is done , specially if we are not in the client jointure is extra complexness and cost at the very least . "
Insufficient capacity at the portsThe Ro - Ro port in the UK do n’t have the substructure in price of the infinite to nurse vehicles or the distance to scrutinize whatever may be in those vehicles , if the government insists that fomite have to be inspected , which must pass off for plant wellness , selling standards , food safety standards etc . the embrasure do not currently have the capacity to do this .
“ They have to find a more modern way of life of working using IT , which the manufacture has helped uprise historically , but they must desperately look at the motility of goodness inland and inspections take position at the percentage point of reaching where ever that may be . We can be very negative about the process however , what I believe is that the Government should take the opportunity to fundamentally review the current ways of working and make them commercially more viable and effective for the industry . There are ways that the Government and the industriousness can mould more efficaciously together such as an Assured Trader System , where responsible line are repay for having low layer of review and/or reserve the commercial business to do the inspections on behalf of Government which are then scrutinise by the relevant establishment . "
fit in to Nigel , we postulate to call back differently , “ historic custom practices which were extremely bureaucratic and , in many respects ineffective are not sustainable in Brexit , which if put into linguistic context would mean doubling the amount of inspections which take place justly now . ”
review could doubleA third of clean garden truck is uprise in the UK , a third comes from third country and a third from Europe and 80 % of the slashed flowers imported into the UK , no matter of where they were grown , transit through Holland before get in in the UK . “ If those goods do n’t need inspection now why would they postulate inspection in the future ? If they do , then inspections would double . Third countries plus Europe , so we are talking about a substantial increase in resourcefulness to allow these inspections to take place , to what end ? When we already turn over them to be low risk . ? We need to await at substitute ways , while maintain bio protection , to allow these inspections to take place at the most in force place , which adds the least delay and least be to the industry and at last the consumers .
“ What we must remember is that while there is no deal in place , there is no modulation period . So bad case scenario , come next March if there is still no mountain the UK will become a third body politic and we are out . What we must also think back is that even with third nation , such as South Africa , if we are no longer members of the EU we have no trade agreement or duty concord with them either . If we have to move to Most favour body politic tariffs that is more than potential to increase the cost of importing . ”
For more information :
Nigel JenneyFresh bring about ConsortiumTel : +44 ( 0)1733 237117[email protect ]
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