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Import woes

Chaos at the UK ’ s ports following Britain ’ s departure from the EU remains . The proposed physical checks on animal products , dairy , plants , and plant products coming into the UK via the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel have been constantly delayed . This has caused grave concerns regarding the ability for the government-controlled Border Control Post at Sevington , Kent to cope with the volume of traffic , resulting in further disruption for consignments of essential foods , which compromises shelf life and is likely to push up prices .

The latest blow is the announcement of the new Border Control Post Common User Charge ( CUC ) for goods passing through Sevington – yet another factor likely to influence the cost of these foods and offering further ammunition to the argument for overseas producers to avoid exporting to the UK .

Thankfully , the UK Government has acceded to waiver the CUC for participants of the Authorised Operator Status ( AOS ) where sanitary and phytosanitary ( SPS ) checks can take place at a non-government inland control point such as that operated by PML Seafrigo at its Lympne , Kent site .

The company ’ s Kent transport and logistics hub has been set up for some time as an inland border control post and was one of the first to register for the AOS . It is well placed to help UK businesses continue to import critical low or medium risk plants and produce without incurring any additional costs .

Reduced risk

Buyers of temperature-sensitive goods like fresh fruit and vegetables have had to diversify

their supply base to spread the risk posed by environmental changes impacting the availability of such produce . In a world where climate change is affecting the predictability of key crops , buyers are actively seeking out suppliers based in different geographical locations to ensure a continued and seamless supply . This means that companies specializing in the movement of these essential foods are increasingly required to offer a service with a truly global reach to keep pace with the changing buyer landscape .

Price matters

It is well documented that producers and growers are under considerable pressure in terms of mounting labor costs , limited access to essential migrant labor , rising energy and fertilizer costs – the list goes on . Consequently , the production costs for perishable goods destined for the supermarket shelves is likely to increase , which against the backdrop of rising inflation and a nation effectively in a cost-of-living crisis is inevitably causing deeper scrutiny of the expenses associated with the transfer of goods from the country of origin to the end retailer .

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