London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

UK forced to delay checks on imports from EU by six months

UK forced to delay checks on imports from EU by six months

Introduction postponed until 2022 because border post infrastructure will not be ready in time
The UK government has been forced to delay the introduction of import checks by six months, in a U-turn in post-Brexit policy, because a network of 30 border posts being built to process incoming goods would not have been ready on time.

Exports to the EU from Britain have been subject to controls since 1 January, but the government decided to opt for a phased approach on EU imports to give hauliers and business more time to adapt.

Checks were due to be introduced in stages from 1 April and from 1 July, but in recent days traders and ports have said they are not ready and that the introduction of processes as originally planned could lead to empty supermarket shelves.

Michael Gove, the minister for the Cabinet Office, told the House of Commons on Thursday that the government had responded to businesses’ requests for more time and announced what he called a “revised timetable”.

Gove blamed the need for delays on the pandemic, telling MPs the previous timetable was “based on the impacts of the first wave of Covid” but that the government had reviewed deadlines because the disruption had been wider and longer-lasting than expected.

Most import checks have now been pushed back to 1 January 2022, meaning Britain will begin these processes a year later than the EU.

Andrew Opie, the director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, a lobby group, said the postponement had come “in the nick of time”. He said it would “ultimately reduce the impact on consumers from 1 April who might otherwise have seen empty shelves for some products”.

Opie added: “Until the infrastructure is in place, with IT systems ready and established processes for checks and paperwork, it would be foolhardy to introduce full requirements for export health certificate documentation, pre-notification of imports, physical checks and more.”

British customs were due to begin controlling imports of animal products, live animals and plants and products from 1 April, including food considered high-risk such as mince and sausages. The checks, known as sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls, require consignments to have the correct documentation and import and health certificates signed by vets on arrival in Britain.

These SPS checks along with customs inspections were expected to take place from 1 July at new designated border control posts (BCPs) on goods entering by sea, road or air.

However, in recent weeks a string of British ports had said the facilities would not be ready in time for the July deadline, partly as a result of complications with the government’s funding of the new infrastructure. This week the British Ports Association, an industry body, wrote to the government to urge it to extend the deadline.

In addition, several of the inland facilities being built by the government at locations where there is not enough space available for a border control post directly next to the port are running behind schedule.

The White Cliffs inland site in Kent, where goods arriving at Dover will be checked, is described as still being a “muddy field”. In addition, the locations of the two inland sites in Wales that are being developed by the Welsh and UK governments have not yet been announced.

Physical SPS checks on animal products, as well as foods and plants considered high risk will not take place until 1 January. From this date these checks will take place at designated border control posts rather than at their destination, as is currently the case.

Checks on live animals and low-risk plants will only take place from March 2022 at BCPs.

In addition, traders will be able to continue submitting deferred customs declarations, whereby paperwork can be provided up to six months after goods have been imported, until the start of 2022.

There have also been severe teething problems in the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol and new trading rules with the EU.

The EU is preparing to launch legal action within days after the government last week announced it was unilaterally extending a series of “grace periods” to allow businesses in Northern Ireland more time to adapt to post-Brexit rules.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, the EU’s ambassador to the UK, João Vale de Almeida, said both sides should “give up on trying to score points” and work to rebuild trust.

It is understood Vale de Almeida has not yet met David Frost, the cabinet minister in charge of UK relations with the EU and the former trade negotiator. EU sources are understood to feel alarm at rumours circulating that the UK government has motive to make the Northern Ireland protocol inoperable in order to force a renegotiation – a situation tha Brussels would face down in the strongest possible terms.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×