March 12, 2021 Industry news
The UK Government has announced that import checks set to begin in April will be deferred for six months, with other measures delayed until 2022 as the necessary border infrastructure will not be complete on time.
The news has been welcomed by trade associations and retailers that had warned of severe supply-chain disruption and empty shelves if the new customs regime had come into force as planned.
The UK has been trading under new export rules since January. Confusion over detail and the new bureaucratic burden on companies has been partly blamed for a 38 per cent drop in British export numbers compared with this time last year.
UK customs agents were set to introduce sanitary and phytosanitary controls on live animals, animal, plant and some meat products from 1 April. Without the correct paperwork and health certifications, these importers faced the prospect of goods being turned away at the border.