Nursery and garden centres in Britain and Europe warned that the new border posts after Brexit are not functioning properly, causing delays, damage, and extra costs to importers of plants.
The Horticultural Trade Association (HTA), which represents more than 1,400 garden retailers in the UK and grows, wrote an open letter with other European trade associations to urge urgent solutions. They warned that the new system would increase import costs by over 25%.
The checks, which were introduced in April, had caused a number of delays at the border. Sometimes, they lasted up to 44 hours. In addition, the difficulty of carrying out inspections increased the risk of pests and plant disease entering Britain.
New rules require that certain animal and plant products entering Britain from the EU be checked at border points located in or near British ports. Plants were previously inspected at nurseries.
The trade associations said that the new system causes delays and increases costs. One haulage firm reported 93 hours in driver waiting time during the first week following the checks. This cost the company £38,000 extra in pay.
This would result in an increase of 25 percent to the company’s logistics costs.
A software issue caused three trailers containing plants to be held for 44 hours at a border crossing. The majority of the plants died or wilted, and the loads were rejected by the customer.
The letter was also signed by the Dutch Association of Wholesalers of Floricultural Products, VGB and the International Flower Trade Association. Together, they represent 80% of all the value of global trade in flowers and pot plants.
Importers already have to pay more to move plant and animal products into Britain, as companies now charge for border inspections.
In some cases, the letter stated that providers would be required to pay an additional £1,740 for a mixed shipment of 12 different plants. This made trade impossible for many small businesses.
Plants for planting are now classified as high risk under the new Brexit regulations. This means that they will be subject to a much greater level of inspection compared to businesses importing meat and dairy products, which have been categorized as medium-risk.
Importers say the post is too small to handle goods from multiple trucks. They also claim that there are not enough equipment in most facilities to unload large plants, such as trees and plants that cannot be stacked on plant trolleys.
Imported plants were kept in nurseries and farms under controlled conditions until the government inspectors arrived in April.
The new rule requires that border checks be conducted almost exclusively by government-run border posts and private border posts. The government claims that the new rules will improve biosecurity in the country by preventing harmful diseases from entering and damaging crops and plants.
The letter also raised concerns regarding the quality of border checks.
The claim was that loads are being “observed” rather than being intensely scrutinised, which increases the risk of diseases being overlooked. In addition, the lack of information about what is being checked leaves some customers in the dark regarding the health of the plants they receive.
One case involved the abandonment of checks on 50 mature olives trees due to difficulties in unloading. In the letter, it was stated that olive trees are a known host of Xylella Fastidiosa – a damaging and high-risk bacterial disease.
“The customer expected the check at the border and paid for it. Yet, the business did not receive any information as to what happened or why. Nor was it aware of the trees that had an incomplete check.”
The government has said that it is working closely with the traders to ensure that checks are completed quickly and efficiently. It also published guidance on how companies can reduce delays.
The company added that all checks are conducted by staff who have been fully trained and adhere to standard operating procedures. This ensures the safety of inspections.
Other signatories of the letter included the European Nurserystock Association (ENA), Royal Anthos, VBN (the Dutch Flower Auctions Association), and Transport en Logisticiek Nederland.
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