BRC warns of food shortages if no Brexit customs deal agreed
Britain could suffer food shortages if customs procedures are not resolved before Brexit, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said.
The government last week published a position paper on how it saw the import system working. It offered the option of either no checks using untested technology or inspections that would involve administration.
The BRC said European supply chains were a “key part of delivering the goods that UK consumers buy every day”.
“The majority of those goods are ones that need to be transported quickly, particularly food.”
It added that a post-Brexit system needed to ensure products can continue to be imported “without delays, disruption or additional costs, which would affect availability on the shelves, increase waste and push prices up”.
BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said deals on security, sales tax and truck drivers would also need to be agreed alongside any customs arrangements.
"Whilst the government has acknowledged the need to avoid a cliff-edge after Brexit day, a customs union in itself won't solve the problem of delays at ports," she said.
"So to ensure supply chains are not disrupted and goods continue to reach the shelves, agreements on security, transit, haulage, drivers, VAT and other checks will be required to get systems ready for March 2019."