How it started.............
How it finished.........
The government has revealed how much companies will have to pay to import foods from the EU due to Brexit.
Small imports of products such as fish, salami, sausage, cheese and yoghurt will be subject to fees of up to £145 from 30 April, according to the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The Cold Chain Federation said the new charges would hit food prices.
The government said the fees would pay for "world-class border facilities".
The fee, known as the "common user charge", will apply to animal products, plants and plant products entering the UK from the EU through the Port of Dover and the Eurotunnel at Folkestone.
It will be charged per type of good imported - the "commodity line" - and capped at £145 for mixed consignments. Individual products will face charges of up to £29. It will apply to goods deemed low, medium and high risk.
The Cold Chain Federation's chief executive Phil Pluck said the fee would have to be passed on to "either the EU importer, the smaller UK retailer, or the UK consumer".
"Ultimately, this will increase business costs and food prices and potentially lower choices for the shopper," he said.
He added that the government had "announced the charges at the last minute, leaving affected businesses little time to revise their commercial arrangements".
The fee has been introduced to pay for border inspections and fund new facilities in Kent to protect biosecurity - preventing the import of plant and animal disease.
But the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) said the policy felt like it was "constructed on the back of an envelope at best" and would "undoubtedly increase costs, potentially reduce consumer choice, and increase the likelihood of empty shelves".
"Our sector typically has multiple commodity lines per consignment, meaning, in reality, businesses in our sector will be paying the £145 maximum charge," said James Barnes, the HTA chairman.
Horticultural consignments can include plants, seeds, bulbs and cut flowers, he said.
The government has delayed implementing the changes five times, partly to give business time to prepare and to reduce disruption to supply chains.
Imagine placing economic sanctions upon yourself and then placing more costs upon yourself just to pay for the cost of implementing those same sanctions sold as "world-class border facilities"?
