[1andrew1]

Last chance to stock upon on your fresh EU treats before the Brexit price hikes.

New regulations intended to protect biosecurity by imposing controls on plant and animal products mean the UK is "going back in time," according to British importers and European suppliers.

The government's modelling says the new controls will cost industry £330m, while the grocery industry has warned that £200m could be added to fresh fruit and vegetable prices should checks be introduced in the future.

There is also the prospect of delays caused by inspections of faulty paperwork, which could derail supply chains that rely entirely on fast turnaround of goods.

British importers have told Sky News that the new rules, which have already been delayed five times in three years, will add up to 17% to shipping costs, leading to higher prices for consumers.

European companies and industry groups say the controls are unnecessary as they replicate checks already made in the EU, and that Brexit is adding bureaucracy and cost to dealing with the UK.

The new import controls are a consequence of Britain having left both the single market and the customs union when the trade and co-operation deal with the EU came into force in January 2021.

While UK exporters to Europe were immediately subject to customs rules, the British government waived import controls to avoid damaging the economy and food supply.

On five occasions since 2021 ministers planned and then cancelled their introduction, in part because of fears that interrupting food supplies from the EU would exacerbate the cost of living crisis.

Almost 80% of UK vegetable imports and 40% of fruit comes from Europe.

Dutch flower wholesaler Heermskerk Managing director Nick van Bommel "We're going back in time. They want to have health inspections that we haven't carried out for more than thirty years, and now from next week on we start again," he said.

"It won't help anybody, but it will make an awful lot of costs and somebody has to pay the bill at the end. I'm 100% sure that the last customer, the British consumer, has to pay for this."

Freddie Heathcote, managing director of Green & Bloom, calculates his shipping costs will rise by up to 17% - and the knock-on to consumers could be increases of 20% to 50% once the physical inspection regime is in place.

"We have been told the charge for consignments crossing at Dover or Folkestone will be £20 to £43 per category item listed on the consignment.

"We imported 28 different consignment lines tonight from one supplier, which would be £560 to £1,204 to clear the border control point on a total invoice of £7,000. That's between 8% and 17% additional cost on an average import for us."

https://news.sky.com/story/why-chees...rules-13057056