Sevington — Deal or no deal, British companies will have to confront a wall of bureaucracy that threatens chaos at the border if they want to sell into the world’s biggest trading bloc when life after Brexit begins on January 1.
Customs brokers have not been trained, operators do not know what information is required nor how the rules will be enforced. Outside the bloc, companies will have to complete paperwork and submit goods for random checks to cross borders, increasing both the cost and time it takes to do business. Points 12-15 state that “A movement reference number” is generated by a “transit accompanying document” and “exit summary declaration”, and should be lodged with the “goods vehicle movement service”.
Customs adviser Anna Jerzewska said every potential delay adds up when trying to predict delivery times for operators of trucks and their drivers, known as hauliers in Britain. Burnett warned that many European drivers would simply stop coming to Britain if they risk sitting for days in queues. With European-registered trucks making the most of EU-UK crossings, that would hit capacity and prices.
But it is drivers who will be penalised if they arrive at the border with loads that have not been properly cleared, and can face a £300 fine. With the clock ticking down, the tension is mounting. Minister Theodore Agnew in October accused many traders of taking a “head-in-the-sand approach”, infuriating those who have demanded greater clarity for months.
It has identified 10 potential inland customs sites and is launching pop-up sites and a haulier handbook to help.