Seven and a half years after the vote to leave the European Union (EU), and three years after the British actually left the European single market, post-Brexit trade rules continue to slowly be put in place. Since Wednesday January 31, exports of food and plant goods from the EU to the United Kingdom must be accompanied by health certificates.
These rules put an end to a strange imbalance between London and Brussels. From 1er January 2021, when the United Kingdom left the single market, British imports to the EU were subject to all the controls provided for third countries: declarations, VAT registration and also health certificates for the agri-food industry … But the British authorities, who were not ready, waited to impose the same health controls, which require a certificate provided by a veterinarian. On five occasions, they announced their entry into force, before postponing them, fearing in particular the additional costs that this would represent. As the United Kingdom imports 30% of its food from the EU, it did not want to add an additional shock during the Covid-19 period and then during the surge in inflation that followed. European exporters therefore found themselves at an advantage compared to their British competitors.
This will no longer be the case, with the new standards gradually coming into force. For an interim period of three months, health certificates will be required, but physical checks of goods will not begin until April.
“The initial changes this week should not be notable (…), explains William Bain of the British Chamber of Commerce. But the major problem will come from physical checks on part of these imports in April. The government has still not said what will happen to goods entering the UK that do not have the necessary documentation. Will they be blocked at the entrance? [du territoire] or will they be processed afterwards? This risks leading to blocked deliveries if it is not managed well. »
Concern about the adaptation of SMEs
In January 2021, when European controls began, many trucks found themselves blocked at the border, due to a lack of proper papers. For perishable goods, especially fish, entire shipments have been lost. These problems have now almost disappeared as the industry has adapted to the new standards. But, according to British government calculations, these changes cost British businesses 330 million pounds (390 million euros). According to calculations by the British Chamber of Commerce, businesses on the Big Island that export to the EU have suffered on average an additional cost of almost 100,000 pounds (117,000 euros) since 2020 to adapt to post-Brexit rules. .
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