UK border controls have been postponed
The introduction of controls for EU agri-food imports at British borders will be postponed, the British government announced. The post-transition package of customs procedures to control imports from the bloc into Great Britain has a new start date - in six months time. Pre-notification and export health certification for animal products, due to start from 1 April, will now not be required until 1 October 2021. Certification for low-risk plant and plant products will be required from 1 January 2022, the government said on Thursday (11 March). Physical checks at the border will not take place on a range of agri-food products and high-risk plants until 1 January 2022. And physical checks on live animals and low-risk plants and plant material have been delayed until March 2022.
The decision has stirred criticism from farmers who are saying that EU producers will maintain access to the UK market relatively burden-free while British exports are delayed from entering the EU market.
"The announcement means that EU producers will maintain access to the UK market relatively burden-free for a considerable amount of time. It is crucial that we achieve a level playing field with pragmatic checks on imports and exports as quickly as possible," NFU President Minette Batters said. However, the UK government reported that Border Control Post infrastructure in key GB ports is not ready for the April deadline. The government has blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruption associated with it for the reviewed timeframes.
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