Significant disruption is likely at the UK border from January 1 as traders will be unprepared for new European Union border controls which will require more administration and checks. Thousands of lorries may queue at short Channel crossings such as Dover (pictured) to Calais, warns the National Audit Office (NAO), in a report, ‘The UK border: preparedness for the end of the transition period’.
Significant risks remain, particularly over implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol (part of the Withdrawal Agreement, the basis for trade in and out of Northern Ireland) and trader readiness more generally, says the NAO. Gareth Davies, head of the NAO said: “The January 1 deadline is unlike any previous EU Exit deadline – significant changes at the border will take place and government must be ready. Disruption is likely and government will need to respond quickly to minimise the impact, a situation made all the more challenging by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The report doubts that all traders, industry and third parties will be ready for the end of the transition period, particularly if the EU implements its stated intention of introducing full controls at its border from January 1. From that date the border will see checks on controlled goods such as alcohol and tobacco; and physical checks at the point of destination or other approved premises on all high-risk live animals and plants. Traders will need to make export declarations and UK Safety and Security declarations for goods leaving the UK.
That contrasts with what the auditors call ‘limited controls’ on the movement of specific goods, such as firearms, and security checks against the movement of illegal goods or to combat people smuggling, in the EU single market.
From July will come full Safety and Security declarations required for all imports and more physical checks and the taking of samples of animals, and plants. HM Revenue & Customs predicts the number of declarations a year will increase from 7.2 million to 92m.
As for how many more staff (including security and facilities management) are needed at borders, the report says there is ‘still uncertainty’. The NAO noted that four industry representative bodies spoke of a need for ‘greater clarity from the government on border processes and requirements at the end of transition’.
Comment
Meanwhile the Road Haulage Association (RHA) chief executive Richard Burnett has complained of lack of clarity. He said last month: “Since the original vote to leave the EU was taken four years ago the RHA has been working tirelessly to establish how future processes and systems will work. But we are still in the dark and very little useful information has been forthcoming.”
David Wells, Chief Executive of the trade body Logistics UK, complained of a failure to grasp the Brexit transition period issues, and ‘government’s lack of focus on the issues which will hit the UK hard come January 1’.
You can download the NAO report at https://www.nao.org.uk/report/the-uk-border-preparedness-for-the-end-of-the-transition-period/.
