The consequences of leaving the EU continue to impact the food industry with the issue of certification red tape and its associated costs (CFA News 55, 56 & 57) impacting on viability of exports to the bloc. Industry efforts to propose and help test potential solutions, including the trialling of e-certification, continue in earnest and regular sessions of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Working Group chaired by Karin Goodburn are being held with the UK Government. Meanwhile the certification paperwork (estimated to be costing industry ~£60m in 2021) continues at a rate of about £4.5m a month to mount, even though exports to the EU are down.
In addition, the Government’s Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, which is expected to pass through Parliament next year, may result in the scrapping or amendment of a raft of legislation, raising concerns regarding the future ability to trade with the EU and potentially internally within GB and the UK.
Image Alexandre Lallemand on Unsplash
October 2022