Expensive cheese, rotting seafood and other Brexit problems
- Brexit red tape and paperwork causing delays, adding to cost of UK goods
- British government encourages firms to partially move to EU, reports say
Less than a month after the UK finally left the European Union’s single market, warnings of trade disruptions by those who wanted to remain a member of the trade bloc are becoming reality for some businesses.
The new red tape of Brexit, dismissed by the government as a teething pain, is causing logistical headaches for food importers, resulting in higher prices for consumers.
That impact is so profound that even UK’s Department for International Trade has encouraged exporters to open offices in the EU to sidestep cumbersome and costly customs regulations, according to reports by The Observer newspaper and BBC.
“Bearing in mind pre-Brexit I paid nothing on EU customs and now the bill is over £150 per consignment, this cost is going to be passed on”, tweeted Daniel Lambert, a UK-based importer of wine.
“But secondly the shortage of trucks willing to make the journey is also putting huge pressure on the supply chain.”
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs Brexit trade deal
The Cheshire Cheese Company, which exports fine cheese gift boxes to Europe said that every £25-£30 (US$34-$41) box now requires a hygiene certificate for each one – costing a staggering £180 pounds.