MPs have pressed Defra to clarify post-Brexit import and food checks set for 30 April amid doubts of delays.
- A committee letter challenges Defra’s assurance that checks start as scheduled, citing potential ‘light touch’ implementation.
- Queries focus on practical application of new checks, timing to full capacity, and barriers to implementation.
- Logistics UK stresses the need for clarity to maintain supply chains, echoing widespread stakeholder concerns.
- The situation underscores ongoing political and industry tension around post-Brexit border processes.
MPs have officially requested Defra to elucidate whether the anticipated post-Brexit import and food inspection checks, scheduled for 30 April, will face yet another deferral. This inquiry follows Defra’s public dismissal of media reports suggesting the non-initiation of the proposed checks and inspections regime by the set date.
Defra has articulated that checks will indeed commence on 30 April, emphasizing the prioritisation of medium and high-risk goods perceived to pose significant biosecurity threats. However, the Committee for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs contests this claim, indicating that initial check rates may secretly be set to zero percent across all commodity groups.
The committee’s correspondence seeks detailed explanations of what a ‘graduated’ or ‘light touch’ approach implies practically and what percentages of the new SPS checks will be executed from the proposed date across various risk categories. Queries extend to when full implementation will be achieved, and barriers currently preventing the full initiation of the checks.
In addition, the letter probes the repercussions any delays may introduce on goods imported from non-EU countries. It calls upon Defra to take immediate measures to brief businesses and the public about the revised protocols to build trust in the incoming border controls and ameliorate disruptions.
Logistics UK’s head of trade and devolved policy, Nichola Mallon, expressed approval of the committee’s demand for a clear elucidation of how the checks will be operational from 30 April. She highlights an ongoing situation marked by confusion, necessitating clarity from the government to ensure effective operation and maintenance of the UK’s essential supply chain.
The call for clarity on post-Brexit border checks reflects an urgent need for transparent communication to stabilise industry operations.
