The UK authorities’s post-Brexit import costs may hinder its efforts to get Brits to eat extra wholesome meals, the boss of a logistics large has warned.
Expensive new import controls on EU recent produce coming into the nation, set to roll out on the finish of the month, would lead to much less availability and better costs of fruit & veg, mentioned Mike Parr, director at PML Seafrigo, which specialises in chilled items logistics.
This could in flip make it more durable for consumers to entry and afford recent items, risking the federal government’s push in the direction of wholesome meals as a part of its anti-obesity technique, he argued.
“Submit-Brexit, there’s a rising reluctance to export recent produce to the UK as a result of it’s now fraught with bureaucratic insurance policies and purple tape and this newest further value is simply additional ammunition for that argument,” Parr mentioned.
“All this at a time after we had been beneath the impression that the federal government was encouraging the nation to eat extra recent produce as a part of the drive in the direction of a more healthy way of life – this can guarantee the precise reverse outcome.”
A part of the federal government’s steerage and regulatory efforts lately – together with the transfer away from merchandise which might be excessive in fats, salt and sugar – has been to encourage Brits to eat more healthy meals in makes an attempt to alleviate the burden on the NHS of obesity-linked illnesses.
However final week’s announcement of an imports levy on some recent produce and vegetation – also called the frequent consumer cost, which may go as much as £145 for each consignment arriving by way of the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel – will lead to extra worth hikes for these “important meals objects”, the trade has warned.
“As soon as once more, the buyer will finally pay the value, not simply as a result of inflated value of those items, but additionally by way of a diminished availability of sure meals objects,” Parr mentioned.
The cost was “one more blow to the already fragile recent produce sector, which has already been hit by so many further prices and challenges as a result of post-Brexit border management plans”, he added.
Learn extra: Brexit import costs will ‘cripple the trade and drive up meals costs’
British importers, in addition to their EU exports counterparts, have already been paying larger customs charges since 2021, when the UK formally left the bloc.
And earlier this yr, new export well being certificates had been launched on some items thought-about medium and high-risk, resembling meat, dairy and recent produce.
Additional controls, together with SPS checks on imported items, will roll out from 30 April.
A Defra spokesperson mentioned the brand new border controls had been being launched progressively, following intensive session with trade, and had been “crucial to guard the UK’s biosecurity from doubtlessly dangerous pests and illnesses”.
“For recent fruit & greens specifically, a brief easement on imports from the EU, Switzerland and Lichenstein will enable further time for companies to adapt to the brand new necessities, guaranteeing a easy provide of products for shoppers”, the spokesperson mentioned.
Regardless of the non permanent easement, trade is especially frightened that small companies counting on groupage to usher in smaller portions of blended items into the nation, resembling unbiased retailers, delis and fruit & veg importers, will be unable to soak up the prices.
The brand new Border Goal Working Mannequin additionally specifies that the price may very well be reviewed and up to date sooner or later.
“The truth that this price will probably be reviewed and up to date yearly by Defra is itself worrying. It may simply be elevated in 12 months’ time,” Parr mentioned. “The federal government is successfully asking companies resembling ours to gather taxes on their behalf.”