EU introduced import checks immediately after Brexit
The UK confirmed on Tuesday that it will delay post-Brexit controls on imports due to pressures caused by the pandemic and global supply chain issues.
It is now the second time that import controls have been pushed back.
Having left the EU single market at the end of 2020, the UK gradually introduced import checks, while the EU introduced theirs immediately.
“We want businesses to focus on their recovery from the pandemic rather than have to deal with new requirements at the border, which is why we’ve set out a pragmatic new timetable for introducing full border controls,” Brexit minister David Frost said.
“Businesses will now have more time to prepare for these controls which will be phased in throughout 2022.”
The NFU National Farmers Union has said that the new barriers to trade would not solve food shortages in the UK, which it said was down to a lack of lorry drivers.
While the Food and Drink Federation added that all major supermarkets importing fruit and vegetables from the EU were prepared for paperwork.
