🕒 Article read time: 2 minutes
New EU border costs will hurt SMEs, warns Logistics UK
Logistics UK is urging government to listen and act on the concerns of the logistics sector as it is set to introduce new and costly border checks on 30 April.
With just a few days to go before the next wave of changes under the new border target operating model (BTOM) go live, Logistics UK said its members did not share the government’s confidence that everything would run smoothly.
The government said it had “full confidence” that the infrastructure and systems were in place for health and safety checks on EU imports of certain food goods to commence at the end of the month.
The department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) said: “The priority for physical checks from day one will be on the highest risk goods, and port health authorities will be conducting documentary checks on consignments of all risk levels and will contact traders where they have concerns.
“Checks will be scaled up to full check levels in a sensible and controlled way. Our approach ensures we are striking the appropriate balance between protecting the UK from biosecurity risks and facilitating trade.”
However, Logistics UK’s Head of Trade and Devolved Policy Nichola Mallon, said: “With just a few days to go before this new regime comes into force, fundamental questions remain about the capabilities of the government’s systems and facilities to process loads containing food and other perishable goods efficiently and at pace.
“Any delays can ruin fresh produce, reducing its value and increasing wastage, and this could cause breaks in the UK’s interconnected supply chain.
“Further urgent clarification is needed from government on the exact timeline as to when physical checks will be scaled up and how the charging system will be enforced. And government still hasn’t responded to industry concerns that the cumulative cost of these new processes will put smaller operators out of business.”
Mallon said that despite haulage companies’ best efforts to prepare for the BTOM, its members continued to face chaos: “Logistics businesses deserve clarity on how they are to continue to operate effectively to protect the UK’s supply chain,” she added.
Members are advised to contact Logistics UK with any queries and also to share their experiences which we can then raise directly with government.
Email contact: policyteam@logistics.org.uk
Published On: 25/04/2024 15:25:32
Comments Section
If you are a Logistics UK member login to add comments.
News In Brief
The haulage fintech that is doing for trucks what Uber does for people
A Czech fin tech company called Eurowag is attempting to simplify driver's lives by addressing many of the cost, administration and regulatory challenges they face.
By digitalising the industry, Eurowag are hoping to transform the way haulage operates and make life easier for Europe’s legions of truckers. The result, they hope, will be a one stop shop for all mobility solutions payment services and technology needs for European truckers and fleet businesses
“More than 90 per cent of road hauliers are small family businesses," says Eurowag CEO, Martin Vohanka . "Yet the business is complex and getting more complex. To load one truck with freight and take it on a journey abroad and bring it back again, also with a full load, can involve the driver having to complete 30 different administrative tasks, from accounting to conforming with regulations to border controls to fuelling to toll charges, and so on.
"Our technology will cut across all that and do it for them. Eurowag will remove that burden. Around 20 per cent of trucks on EU roads are empty on their return trips – that’s painful financially as well as environmentally-damaging. Eurowag will match a truck and its destination so that often the hardest part of all, finding a return cargo, is made easy."
Latest articles
Ask the MAC
By Dan Crutchington, Senior Transport Advisor
Read time: 2 minutes
View article
NASA’s choice and possibly yours – the new Canoo electric van
Say hello to the future of van technology and styling. If it’s good enough for NASA, it might be good enough for your future EV van fleet!
Read time: 2 minutes
View article
Generation Logistics Case Study
Tom Dedman - GXO, Shift Manager
Read time: 2 minutes
View article
