On that October day, the truck driver expected to spend a maximum of four to five hours at the Sevington border post in Kent (United Kingdom) to have his load of fresh produce from Belgium. But more than twenty-four hours later, he was still there. “He was given no information, no meals or access to a shower”says Phil Pluck, who heads the UK's umbrella cold chain association, the Cold Chain Federation. When he finally arrived at his destination, the buyer of the goods refused his cargo, arguing that it had spoiled while waiting.
This type of mishap has become commonplace. Since the start of the year, the country has introduced new controls at its borders, as part of Brexit, the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (EU), which became effective on January 31, 2020. Since February, certain products of animal origin (raw milk cheeses, eggs, meat, fish) and plant origin (cut flowers, plants intended for growing fruit or vegetables, seeds) coming from the EU must obtain a health certificate in advance of their export.
“We had to advance our orders by forty-eight hours to give our suppliers time to obtain this document, explains Cécile Da Silva, responsible for accounting at La Fromagerie, a mini-chain of stores based in London. In some cases, we have had to hire an agent to assist them. » The certificate must be signed by a veterinarian, who can conduct a physical inspection if desired.
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Added to this are pre-notifications which must be sent to the authorities before the products arrive on British soil. The administrative load is such that La Fromagerie now dedicates a full-time position to it, divided between four employees.
Harvest in danger
At the beginning of May, the government enhanced the system with physical inspections at border crossings. But there are not enough inspectors, laboratories are lacking and computer systems are not ready. “As a result, only 1% to 2% of loads are inspected”said Mr. Pluck. In some cases, samples had to be sent to laboratories in Germany.
The rare inspections that take place take place in chaos. “Only the Sevington border post has inspectors who can carry out checks after 5 p.m. and on weekends., details Nigel Jenney, who heads the umbrella association Fresh Produce Consortium. Knowing that most imports of fresh produce take place overnight, so that they can be transported early in the morning to wholesale markets, this forces all trucks to pass through there, creating a bottleneck. » The wait can stretch up to ninety-six hours, a disaster for perishable goods.
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