A cross-industry group of over 30 trade bodies has warned that diminished laboratory-testing capacity could create fresh border disruption, amid the rollout of the UK’s new border checks on animal and plant products.
The SPS Certification Working Group wrote to environment secretary, Steve Reed, highlighting that a lack of laboratory capacity at UK border facilities means food imports are being re-exported to Europe for testing, the Guardian reports.
Poor capacity
The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) was introduced this year, and saw a new series of identity and physical checks being imposed on many food and drinks goods in two phases.
Since the second phase of rules came into effect on 30 April, new checks have taken place at designated Border Control Posts (BCP).
The letter specified that many of the BCPs affiliated with UK entry points don’t have laboratory-testing capacity, with some products being sent to Germany to undergo chemical analysis.
The group warned that in many cases this is done without the consent of the originating business, although returning goods to the continent still incurs additional costs:
“[It] requires raising an export health certificate to export the sample to the EU laboratory, representing additional cost, delay, loss of shelf life, and viability of the use of the foodstuff, as particularly if short shelf life, results can also be too late to be of any practical value.”
Capacity mismatch
These concerns come only days after the British Port Authority (BPA) suggested several ports could sue the government following vast overinvestment in facilities.
While key entry points like the Port of Dover and corresponding Sevington BCP appear to be overstretched, further west in Poole and Portsmouth millions in government grants and organisational funds have been sunk into unnecessary upgrades.
In a letter to the new government, the BPA wrote that any changes to the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement that result in the EU relaxing border controls, such as the veterinary agreement pledged in Labour’s manifesto, could trigger legal action.
Industry concerns
The SPS Certification Working Group raised other industry concerns in its letter, such as the substantial increase in costs faced by some importers and intermediaries making many products unviable.
This follows a recent notice by the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs that traders are set to receive their first invoices for payment of the Common User Charge (CUC), introduced from 30 April as part of the new border rules.
The working group also highlighted the cost of recently introduced paperwork, such as export health certificates, suggesting the overall cost to businesses has reached £200m since its inception.
The group, formed in 2021 to represent industry concerns in response to changing border rules, contains members worth approximately £100bn. These include the Fresh Produce Consortium, the Chilled Food Association and the Road Haulage Association.
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