Customs chaos could disrupt UK food supply

Government plans to reduce disruptions to the food supply chain caused by the pandemic and new post-Brexit customs checks have been met with extreme scepticism by key industry bodies. In a stinging assessment, the Road Haulage Association termed the government’s plans “a fantasy solution that will make things worse, not better. It is not rational.”

The “Expedited Return Scheme” would give certain vehicles leaving the UK for the EU, like empty food trucks, the right to jump the queue to exit the UK via the Dover Straits. The scheme is an attempt to deal with the growing bottleneck at the customs point in Ashford, Kent where the situation, according to Paul Mummery, spokesman for the Road Haulage Association, is “pretty disastrous”.

Lorry drivers are reportedly waiting five to eight hours to clear customs, on top of an additional wait for coronavirus tests and results. Key factors behind the long delays apparently include a lack of staff and paperwork being incorrectly filled in by exporters not yet used to the new system. Considering that the new customs guidelines were only released six hours before the expiry of the transition period these disruptions are hardly surprising.

The proposed ERS is an attempt to try and free certain vehicles from these requirements while the system smooths out. However, according to the RHA it would in fact be “counter-productive” as the scheme’s complexity means it would require a “substantial diversion of resources to manage and enforce for authorities and for companies using the scheme” – resources that could be better used getting the regular system running properly. The RHA added that the plan discriminated against small businesses.

Meanwhile, consumers are already starting to feel the pinch. Pictures of empty shelves are circulating on social media. Some UK supermarkets are listing a number of fresh fruits and vegetables as out of stock. Others are warning that online orders will see higher numbers of replacement products than usual.

In Northern Ireland the situation is even worse. According to Mummery, customs between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, introduced as part of the Brexit deal, are “at breaking point”. As a result, supermarket stores across the Irish Sea have been left scrambling. M&S has completely discontinued at least 380 product lines – including broccoli and baguettes. The CEOs of Britain’s top supermarket chains have warned that the situation will get worse when the “grace period” that exempts retailers from some arduous red tape expires on 31 March.

Industry insiders are worried that the situation might worsen across the rest of the UK in the near future, replicating what is currently being seen in Northern Ireland. According to Mummery, “What’s really worrying is that this is the quietest time of the year for freight, thanks to the post-Christmas lull. The volume is going to start creeping up from round about now, probably quicker than the government and industry can handle. Things are probably going to get worse before they get better.”

Mummery is also worried that European transport firms might start avoiding the UK. “In this business a delay of minutes costs money, never mind hours. Companies that don’t want their trucks stuck in the UK, or to pay the customs costs, might just avoid us.” If this happens, UK consumers could well face further shortages as well as increased food prices.

For Mummery the most frustrating part of the situation is its predictability. “I’m really, really not surprised by what we’re seeing. We’ve been issuing warning about this sort of situation for months – as have other bodies like supermarkets.”

As companies and the government grow more used to the new customs checks, and more staff are hired, the situation will hopefully start to be resolved. Until then, however, British citizens will be paying the price of the government’s failure to prepare itself or help industries prepare for the country’s biggest economic shift in generations.