Brexit red tape has cost the poultry industry £60m so far, a group of food industry bodies has claimed, as the poultry industry has made a renewed call for a veterinary agreement with EU.
Rules on moving poultry between the UK, EU and NI are unbalanced and will continue to plague British food producers in their efforts to keep food moving until a mutually beneficial sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement is secured, the British Poultry Council (BPC) has said.
As of 1 January 2021, when Britain left the EU, British businesses have been subjected to a number of unreciprocated requirements, including international SPS controls.
British poultry meat has been hit by new admin costs amounting to an additional £60 million in 2021, including inspections at border control posts and burdensome customs procedures.
“Government have continually expressed that the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) allows British businesses to ‘trade freely’ with the EU, but this is not reflective in the real-world impact of third country trading,” said BPC Chief Executive, Richard Griffiths. “From vet shortages, to mile-long-queues to Dover to trading under bird flu, it is clear the current system is not designed for third countries to ‘trade freely’ with the EU.
“Businesses have tried to face into these burdens but trade with the EU is imbalanced. To thrive, not just survive, recognition of mutually beneficial standards and practices with our most vital trading partner must be agreed upon to ensure fair and competitive trade and to correct the problems our member businesses are encountering on a daily basis.”
The message was reiterated by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), which also called for the UK and the EU to strike a veterinary agreement to “end the nightmare” of post-Brexit red tape hitting UK food businesses.
