Post-Brexit border checks are causing significant delays in UK vegetable imports, posing a critical challenge for the 2025 harvest.
- British salad seed importers express concerns over stricter border controls affecting seed and plant health.
- The new Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) has introduced rigorous checks on EU plant and animal goods entering the UK.
- Trade bodies claim these measures are risking the biosecure supply chain, with delays of more than six weeks reported.
- European suppliers are less willing to export to the UK due to the new border difficulties.
Since the implementation of post-Brexit border controls, the import of seeds and young plants into the UK has faced substantial hurdles. These new measures, part of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), have been flagged as a critical challenge by trade bodies representing British salad seed importers. The introduction of stricter sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls has led to worrying delays, impacting preparations for the 2025 harvest season.
Trade associations like the British Tomato Growers’ Association and Cucumber & Pepper Growers’ Association highlight that border control posts (BCPs) are currently carrying out ‘inadequate’ checks. This is jeopardizing the health and quality of seeds and plants coming into the country. The situation has reached a point where crop programming and planning have become extremely difficult due to testing delays exceeding six weeks in some cases.
The tightened border checks are also affecting the willingness of European suppliers to engage in trade with the UK. The increased complexity of passing goods through these controls is a deterrent, further exacerbating the challenges faced by UK importers. There is a growing sentiment among European exporters that the UK’s border procedures are too cumbersome, adding another layer of difficulty to an already complex supply chain.
Efforts are ongoing to address these issues, with the industry seeking collaboration with government bodies such as Defra, the Animal & Plant Health Agency, and the National Farmers Union. Despite these efforts, growers’ associations continue to voice concerns, insisting that more needs to be done to create safe and efficient solutions to the current border control challenges.
The political landscape adds a layer of complexity, with the Labour government promising to negotiate an agreement with the EU to ease or remove some of the SPS controls. This potential agreement could be a pivotal step towards minimizing the impact of the current border restrictions.
Resolving these post-Brexit import issues remains essential to secure the future of UK agriculture.