New import regulations are likely to increase food prices in British shops.
The Brexit-related Common User Charge will apply to imports of plant and animal products, such as cheese, fish and sausages as well as seeds and cut flowers, entering the UK from the European Union through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel from 30 April.
Charged per type of product imported, the fee will range from £10 to £29 depending on whether the goods are classed as low, medium or high risk. It will be capped at £145 for mixed consignments.
Trade groups criticised the short notice ahead of implementation, and warned that the additional fees will potentially lead to higher prices and reduced choice in the shops.
Cold Chain Federation chief executive Phil Pluck said that the charges would have to be passed on to “either the EU importer, the smaller UK retailer, or the UK consumer”.
He added: “Ultimately, this will increase business costs and food prices and potentially lower choices for the shopper.”
James Barnes, chairman of the Horticultural Trades Association, said the policy “feels like it is constructed on the back of an envelope at best” and that the charges would “undoubtedly increase costs” and increase the likelihood of empty shelves in supermarkets.
The UK government said that the fees were “designed to recover the costs of operating our world-class border facilities where essential biosecurity checks will protect our food supply, farmers and environment against costly disease outbreaks entering the UK through the short straits”.
