Pasta, pies and paperwork errors: the reality of Brexit food checks
Delayed deliveries and inspection hold-ups among issues facing hauliers navigating post-Brexit border processes Three small boxes of spinach and ricotta cannelloni destined for a supermarket in Gibraltar languish on an EU inspector’s bench at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais. They have been removed from a truck laden with perishables for British food lovers on the Rock – Morrisons steak and ale…
A truck carrying perishable food items arrived at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais carrying Morrisons steak and ale pie, cheddar cheese, coleslaw, and milk. However, it was delayed due to paperwork errors, specifically an incorrect use-by date on the spinach and ricotta cannelloni. The truck had originally planned to cross via ferry from Dover but arrived by freight train.
At the checkpoint, an inspector removed two pig carcasses and several pallets of food from the truck for safety reasons. Hauliers face numerous inspections and documentation requirements, including export health certificates, customs paperwork, veterinary certificates, and transit documents. A new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal between the UK and EU is expected to ease these checks, but it won't be fully implemented until 2028.
Small and medium-sized businesses are particularly affected by these checks, which have led to a decline in trade since Brexit.
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