UK farmers warn import checks could cause threat

The United Kingdom's biggest farming body has warned that post-Brexit import checks that are set to start in April are expected to lead to long delays and damage to future crops.

The National Farmers' Union, or NFU, said the country's fruit, vegetable, and flower growers face an "existential threat" from the potential repercussions of the new procedures.

Martin Emmett, the chair of NFU's horticulture and potatoes board, said: "There is a concern that border control points can pose an existential threat to horticultural businesses in this country."

Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, he added: "Having unusable deliveries is what terrifies growers, and any unnecessary delays could result in stock destruction, and that ultimately impacts on businesses in the most profound way imaginable."

The UK imports many young plants from the European Union due to superior greenhouse facilities and ideal growing conditions in some countries, such as the Netherlands.

According to existing UK regulations, imported plants are stored in nurseries and farms under controlled conditions. Government inspectors conduct checks on some of these plants, with priority given to those deemed at higher risk.

Industry groups including the Horticultural Trades Association, British Apples and Pears, the British Tomato Growers' Association and British Berry Growers, have also expressed concerns about the new plans, reported The Guardian.

The British Tomato Growers' Association and British Berry Growers chair Nick Marston said: "We are very concerned about the government's ability to process all those incoming plants on a timely basis, and the losses to growers that could ensue as a result of delays, which could add up to hundreds of thousands of pounds."

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "We have introduced these new import controls in phases to support businesses and ensure efficient trade of plants is maintained between the EU and Great Britain.

"The current 'places of destination' scheme was always designed to be a temporary measure until inspections commenced at border control posts. The controls that the new model introduces play a vital role in keeping the UK safe, protecting our food supply chains and farming sector from damaging disease outbreaks."

Robert James, co-chair of the Tomato Growers' Association technical committee, said the new border posts do not have the same level of controlled conditions as on the nurseries and farms.

"We're introducing a really significant point of infection, or introduction of pests, which could put growers' crops at massive financial risk of crop failure," he said.

A report commissioned by the NFU published earlier this month highlighted the soaring cost of production over the past two years. It said some of the UK's leading horticulture businesses have shelved any plans for growth, putting the future of the UK's fruit and vegetable industry at risk.