Britain has put forward a proposal to postpone the implementation of checks on fruit and vegetables imported from the European Union until July 2025, as stated by the Fresh Produce Consortium. This adjustment marks another extension beyond the initial rescheduling to January 31, 2025. The decision is part of the ongoing process to institute comprehensive physical inspections on imports, a move that commenced with the first phase covering meat, fish, cheese, and other products in April. Despite the progression since its departure from the European Union eight years ago, Britain continues to refine the enforcement of these import regulations.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has not provided comments on the matter. The introduction of these checks is anticipated to escalate costs for the fruit and vegetable sector by approximately 200 million pounds, as estimated by the Fresh Produce Consortium. This increase could potentially affect the price of groceries for British consumers, who rely on imports for about 80% of their fruit and 50% of their vegetables, with a significant portion sourced from the EU.
Source: Reuters