Though Brexit officially happened four years ago, its effects are still being felt, with border taxes on foods such as cheese and meat introduced last month adding costs to the extensive paperwork currently required to import goods from the European Union.
The red tape introduced by these new measures has already compounded problems for the UK's food industry, which relies on European supplies, costing it an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars in extra costs.
But the impact goes beyond the financial cost, with the world's biggest food awards, the UK-based Great Taste Awards, sending its judging panel overseas for the first time in its 30-year history.
what happened?
Run by the Guild of Fine Food (GFF), the Great Taste Awards is the UK's leading recognition for food and drink products, with one, two or three star ratings given by a panel of 500 judges. Past winners have included well-known brands such as Twinings tea and Whittard's hot chocolate, as well as lesser known independents.
This year, the judging panel will break with tradition and conduct part of the judging from Ireland, in response to new import restrictions making it more difficult and expensive for suppliers to bring products into the UK, according to The Guardian.
In fact, some past Great Taste winners have refrained from accepting this year's award, citing concerns about shipping delays and incomplete paperwork.
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GFF managing director John Farrand told Fortune that the change was long overdue.
“Over the last four years it has become increasingly difficult to import and export goods between the UK and the EU,” he said.
The GFF decided to move some of its assessments to Ireland to ensure companies “don't have to unravel the red tape and uncertainty of moving products to the UK on their own”.
As an added measure, Great Taste will support new entrants in “removing barriers to entry and promoting small food producers,” Farrand said.
Before Brexit, the situation was very different: Britain has imported most of its food since the Industrial Revolution (today that figure is just under half), but as a member of the EU it had free access to a wide range of foods from its neighbours, without fees, checks or paperwork.
Since leaving the single market, as the country pursues its own trade policy, it has faced and imposed EU border controls in a variety of areas, which have been particularly onerous for those who rely on food imports and exports, but which the government believes are necessary.
“These border checks are essential to protect Britain's food supply chain, farmers and natural environment from costly diseases entering the UK,” a government spokesman said in April. “It is important to remember that the costs of border checks are insignificant compared to the impact that a major disease outbreak would have on the UK economy and farmers.”
What does that mean for business?
Importers will have to pay a fee of 29 pounds ($37.12) per shipment, regardless of volume, and provide health certificates for chilled or frozen meat, fish, dairy products such as cheese and flowers, and eventually fresh fruit and vegetables.
This increased bureaucracy is already starting to affect businesses that work closely with European suppliers, and over time it will have a knock-on effect on consumers as restrictions on food variety will make these products more expensive in the UK at a time when inflation is beginning to subside.
“This has several potential consequences, including the risk of fewer choices and more processed foods labeled with unfamiliar ingredients,” Farrand said. “From an economic standpoint, it certainly means less money circulating in small businesses and communities.”
Brexit border restrictions are disproportionately affecting small businesses, which are struggling to cope with costs and red tape delays, and industry groups such as the Cold Chain Federation have urged the government to do more to protect them from the impact.
“Even if vets were able to approve, many small EU suppliers will likely stop exporting to the UK, as small UK exporters did in 2021, due to the extra red tape and loss of ability to send smaller consignments in bulk,” the Association of British Food Processors said in a statement earlier this year.
“If the impact of border taxes and paperwork is as significant as industry groups predict, it could be a major hurdle for business. The Great Taste Awards would not be the first to give up on the effort, and it is highly unlikely to be the last.”
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