Dutch flower growers have called on the UK government to delay post-Brexit border controls on plants and food set to come in from this month, claiming exporters are not ready and that any delays at customs could result in “substantial damages and losses”.
VGB, the Dutch association of wholesalers in floricultural products, has written to the UK government warning it of “significant concerns” about industry readiness for the changes, saying they will cause disruption on Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, the peak season for the sector.
The checks, which make up part of a new post-Brexit border regime, will require European importers to provide health certificates for “medium and high risk” animal and plant products from 31 January, while physical inspections of these goods will start at the end of April.
Chrysanthemums, carnations and orchids are among the flowers that will now need to be checked because they are classed as medium risk.
Currently, officers visit garden centres after delivery, meaning plants can be cared for while they await inspection. After April, physical controls will happen at the port, meaning lorries and their consignments could be held for hours, putting perishable goods at risk.
The Horticultural Trades Association chair, James Barnes, said Brexit had already introduced delays to imports, and that these could get worse under the new regime.
He said the number of steps to import a petunia had increased from 19 to 59 since the UK left the EU: “You used to be able to pick up the telephone to a Dutch supplier and place an order of petunias and your goods would be with you on a lorry in 48 hours.
“What will happen from the first of April, these checks will happen at the port rather than destination, and lorries will be stopped and opened and cause delay.”
The introduction of extra import controls has already been delayed by the government on five occasions. But VGB is calling for a further grace period, with physical checks postponed until September 2025. It also wants a review of which flowers should be deemed high risk.
In a summary of the letter shared with the Guardian, the VGB director, Matthijs Mesken, said: “We wish to express our concern regarding the impending introduction of phytosanitary certificates on medium-risk products, scheduled for 31 January 2024.
“This timing coincides with the absolute peak of the seasons, which poses challenges for our industry.”
He said that while only five types of flowers would be considered “medium risk”, these were present in nearly 85% of the shipped consignments due to mixed bouquets and would cause issues for Dutch exporters.
The new certification in January will be followed by more stringent physical checks on products from 30 April.
The letter said the April checks could mean delays in products getting to their destination, and could also lead to substantial damage to plants during border checks.
Mesken said: “The introduction of [checks] … right in the midst of the planting season and just before the spring bank holiday raises additional concerns.”
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He explained that the considerable daily volumes passing the borders during this period coincided with the most vulnerable state of plants, during flowering, and would mean that any delays could result in “substantial damages and losses”.
The government has said the border strategy was to “protect the UK against biosecurity threats” and the new controls would use “Brexit freedoms to simplify import controls on goods from across the globe”.
However, VGB said that Britain currently boasted “Europe’s most efficient border”, and it was crucial this was maintained for the entire logistics network. VGB suggested the UK government push back physical checks of plant imports until at least September 2025.
There have been widespread concerns that the new checks could risk pushing up food and plant prices as importers are unable to absorb the new costs linked to the new checks.
The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), an industry body that claims to speak for 70% of the UK’s fresh produce supply chain, estimated additional annual costs of more than £10m stemming from import charges would have to be passed on to consumers.
A spokesperson at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “The controls the border target operating model (BTOM) introduces are vital for keeping the UK safe by protecting our food supply chains and agricultural sector from disease outbreaks that would cause significant economic harm. The BTOM makes use of technology and data to make it simple for businesses to trade, limiting administrative burdens and keeping down costs.
“We are working closely with stakeholders across all affected sectors within the UK, across the EU and with trading partners around the world to support readiness for the BTOM.”
