meat exporters say new customs systems
post
brexit are not fit for purpose
perishable goods are being delayed for
hours sometimes days
because of extra customs checks and
additional paperwork
the new border rules were introduced two
weeks ago at the end of the brexit
transition period the uk exports 15
billion pounds worth of food and drink
to the eu
every year a third of it is perishable
meat fish and fresh produce
the trade body says meat exports to the
eu are currently at 25 percent of their
normal volumes for this time of year
our business editor simon jack's report
begins at a meat processing factory
in shropshire uk lamb
is highly prized at this
shropshire-based abattoir
70 percent gets exported to the eu it's
an export driven
success story but the well-oiled machine
that gets it there
has a new spanner in it paperwork that
used to take 15 minutes is now taking
hours
and also requires vet certificates not
needed before
we've been having sleepless nights we've
been taking calls from the whole years
from the agents
early hours of the morning it has been a
huge steep learning curve
and we see some of these problems will
remain even once we get to the new
normal
level for fresh quality product trading
on a daily basis
this system is not fit for purpose and
it needs to be looked at urgently
risland's products are still getting
through but delays are shortening shelf
life
making his customers frustrated and
forcing them to consider
other options i feel very upset about
this impression
if we're thinking to buy some lamps in
spain
we have some of our competitors
who are order their lambs
in ireland instead of instead of uk
between the seller and the buyer are the
no one is feeling more frustrated than
pete white
we travel all over western europe every
single week
and last week for me was probably the
worst
most difficult week i've had in this job
in in 20 years
we have lost hundreds of hours dozens of
days already provided with our trucks
that are
waiting unnecessarily behind us here
we're looking at the new
uh border control posts that customs
have set up near the mouth of the euro
tunnel in kent
customs expert stephen says
problems on the way out
mean problems on the way in we have a
situation where border forces car park
is full
the roads are heavily congested they're
turning lorries back now
exports are grinding to a halt at the
moment if you've got a lorry
that is going to get stuck on its way
out then if you're the haulier
why would you want to bring it in in the
first place so it will style everything
up import and export
it has been a pretty miserable time for
hauliers for their drivers and for their
commercial customers and remember
the problems we've seen at a time when
the ports operating at a fraction of
their normal volume those volumes
are expected to increase and well let's
hope that any potential chaos will be
short-lived it seems clear
that additional cost additional
complexity on trading with our biggest
trading partner
are here to stay after decades of
friction free trade there was bound to
be disruption
the government says it's working hard
with business to get to what it
describes
as a new normal in cross-channel trade
simon jack bbc news