Brexit and trade
The profit margin of smaller exporters could be wiped out
ARLY EVIDENCE of the economic damage from Britain’s thin trade deal with the
EU has been more olfactory than visual. Rather than the spectacle of queues of trucks outside Dover or empty British supermarket shelves, Brexit has instead brought the stench of pork rotting in Rotterdam and shellfish going off in its pallets. The government blames “teething problems”, but the new arrangements pose a long-term threat to farmers and fishers who want to export to the
EU.
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The Scottish fishing industry reckons it has lost around £1m ($1.4m) a day of sales so far in January. Border delays and disruption are an issue for any sort of firm involved in international trade but pose a particular problem for those moving fresh produce. “It’s incredibly grim at the moment,” says James Withers, the head of Scotland Food and Drink, a trade association. “We’ve go
OPERATION STACK on the approaches to Dover UK MEAT businesses are suffering post-Brexit hold ups which could damage the long-term future of red meat exports. Shipments of meat destined for EU customers are reportedly rotting at ports, caught up in the UK s new paper-based customs system, which has been condemned as a relic by the fresh food businesses now trying to use it. Exporters have warned that European buyers frustrated by these delays may now go looking for alternative sources – and pointed out that, with many businesses holding back from sending shipments into the logjam, the current problems had arisen from coping with just 20% of the normal trade.