In order to minimize significant port disruption, Britain will forego the majority of the post-Brexit checks on EU food imports that are scheduled to begin this month, according to a Financial Times report published on Thursday.
Since the UK’s exit from the EU went into effect in January 2021, the EU has increased inspections on goods leaving the nation.
However, London has already postponed putting some checks and formalities in place five times because of concerns that they will hurt the economy and increase prices.
The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs stated that doing all of the health and safety inspections starting on April 30 might cause “significant disruption” in a presentation that was sent in confidence by the UK government to port authorities and was obtained by the Financial Times.
According to the publication, the checks would initially only be applied to high-risk items like meat in an effort to prevent the possibility of massive truck lines and delays at ports.
The FT cited the letter as stating that the government intends to phase in the remaining regulations based on traffic volumes at various ports, but it did not specify when.
For specific items of animal and plant origin considered to be of medium risk, such as some cheeses, butter, creams, sausages, ham, cut flowers, roots, and tubers, health certifications were mandatory in January.
Insurer Allianz Trade issued a warning last week that the additional inspections might cost British businesses around o2 billion ($2.5 billion) and worsen inflation, which has caused a severe cost-of-living crisis for many Britons.
Trade associations have demanded that the checks’ implementation be postponed until at least autumn.
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