The government has scrapped planned border checks on EU fruit & veg imports – due to come into force next month – in a move that could save the sector £200m in added supply chain costs.
The checks, which represented the final phase of the previous government’s Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), were due to kick in on 1 July after the final in a series of easements to BTOM’s rollout was due to expire.
Fresh produce importers had warned that the checks – and potentially costly delays to imports as a result – were still due to be introduced, despite the UK government’s signing of a new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement in mid-May.
But following intense lobbying from the sector, Defra today announced it was scrapping the checks due to begin on 1 July. The move, it said, would “ease trade” ahead of the implementation of the new SPS deal, the terms of which still needed to be thrashed out with the EU.
It means checks on medium-risk fruit and vegetables (including tomatoes, grapes, plums, cherries, peaches, peppers and more) imported from the EU, will not be required. Easements have been extended to at least 31 January 2027. Traders would also now not be charged associated fees, Defra said.
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Industry body the Fresh Produce Consortium hailed the announcement as a “victory” for the sector, which “spares the industry from 700,000 consignments annually subject to UK SPS border controls”.
It also avoided “an eye-watering £200m added costs – savings that will directly benefit UK consumers already struggling with the cost of living”, it added.
“This is a unique and sector-specific exemption, and one we’ve fought long and hard to achieve,” said FPC CEO Nigel Jenney. “We’re proud to have secured a common-sense solution that protects our diverse and critical industry – from supermarket supply chains to the thousands of SMEs in wholesale and foodservice.”
The current easement deadline of 31 January 2027 now aligns with the end of the post-Brexit Transitional Staging Period (TSP) and allowed for “breathing room” while the UK and EU negotiated the details of the SPS agreement – a process widely expected to take months, if not years, the FPC said.
“Crucially, this means that fruit and vegetables will also remain exempt from the Common User Charge, when entering via the Port of Dover and the Eurotunnel – a huge benefit for importers using these major entry points,” it added.
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However, other sectors – including meat, dairy, fish, plants and flowers – remain subject to full border checks, said the FPC. It is now calling on the government to deploy out-of-hours inspectors at plant and flower control points “to meet 24/7 trade needs”.
Government also needed to review “inconsistencies between the treatment of EU and non-EU imports”, particularly for fresh produce such as citrus, it urged. “The government must ensure policy resets don’t penalise imports from the rest of the world,” said Jenney.
“We remain committed to working in partnership to unlock the full potential of UK horticulture and protect national food security.”
Defra said: “Protecting UK biosecurity remains a key government priority, and risk-based surveillance will continue to manage the biosecurity risks of these products.
“Defra will continue to work with the Animal & Plant Health Agency and Border Control Post operators to maintain UK biosecurity while minimising disruption to the flow of goods.”
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