Achi news desk-
The UK government has reportedly told port health authorities that it will not “turn on” health and safety checks for EU imports as new post-Brexit border controls begin this month.
A presentation prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) highlighted the risk of “significant disruption” if the new measures were implemented, according to the Financial Times. He made it clear that the systems would not be fully ready on time.
In a move designed to avoid major delays, the government said it would ensure that the rate of checks was initially “set to zero for all commodity groups”.
Border controls have already been delayed five times due to fears they could cause further disruption and inflation in fuel prices.
In its submission, Defra admitted to port health authorities that “challenges” remained within its systems for registering imports of food and animal products.
It has been said that these challenges could prompt unmanageable levels of inspections, overwhelming ports.
“There is the potential for significant disruption on day one if all commodity codes are switched on at once,” he said.
It was not made clear for how long border checks would be delayed but the submission was said to indicate that the systems would be “progressively switched on” for different product groups.
Business organizations have repeatedly called for the introduction of the new border checks to be delayed until at least October.
The last major change comes in October, with the government requiring safety and security declarations for medium and high-risk imports, while also introducing a single trade window, which the government says will reduce the number of forms required by importers.
So far, physical checks will not be required on goods coming from the island of Ireland but the government has said that these will be introduced sometime after 31 October this year.
A Defra spokesman said: “As we have always said, the goods that pose the highest biosecurity risk are prioritized as we build up to full inspection rates and high levels of compliance.
“Taking a pragmatic approach to the introduction of our new border checks reduces disruption, protects our biosecurity and benefits everyone – especially traders.
“There has been extensive engagement with businesses in the past year – with a number of trade associations and port authorities welcoming our approach.
“We will continue to work with businesses and support them throughout this process to maintain the smooth flow of imported goods.”
