Pasta, pies and paperwork errors: the reality of Brexit food checks
Three small boxes of spinach and ricotta cannelloni destined for a supermarket in Gibraltar have been removed from a truck at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais due to a Brexit paperwork error, highlighting the ongoing challenges of post-Brexit trade.
The truck laden with Morrisons steak and ale pie, family-size blocks of Morrisons cheddar cheese, 'M' Best coleslaw from Avondale foods in Craigavon in Northern Ireland and long-life milk had been waiting for nine hours. The pasta had to be removed because a health official had put today's date rather than the use-by date of 16 November on the paperwork.
Paperwork errors causing delays
"We had to create 78 different files," explained an official at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais. The truck had originally planned to cross from England on a ferry from Dover but arrived via a freight train instead. Two pig carcasses wrapped in cellophane were also removed from another truck after they fell from their hanging positions, posing a contamination risk.
The health official had put today's date rather than the use-by date of 16 November on the paperwork
Impact on businesses
A report by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) showed that small to medium-sized businesses were worst hit by the Brexit checks. Many small and medium-sized exporters have stopped exporting to the EU completely since Brexit. An Aston University report estimated that an SPS agreement "could boost UK agri-food exports to the EU by up to 22.5%".
The House of Lords cited government estimates that the SPS deal "would increase GDP by up to £5.1bn by 2040 (up to 0.14%)". Yann Leriche, the chief executive of Getlink, said: "It could be a gamechanger." Trade between Europe and the UK has declined just over 20% in both directions since Brexit, with exports of poultry and eggs in particular collapsing.
Costs and future improvements
Currently, each consignment on a truck requires declarations with a customer code, price, export health certificates costing £200, a pre-notification pack costing about £40, and a "common user charge" between £80 and £100. Drivers also face a €200 to €700 charge if they face a full unload.
We have put everything we possibly can in place to make it as quick as possible but we can still end up with three packets of pasta on the table because someone made a paperwork mistake
"After the SPS deal, you will still need your pre-notification but the health certificates and other paper will be gone. It means the cost of crossing the channel could be reduced by 10 times maybe," says Leriche. The return of pet passports will also benefit holidaymakers, who currently face £200 animal health certificates for every journey from the UK to the continent.
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