Dutch flower, plant exporters worried about new post-Brexit checks at UK border

There is a lot of uncertainty among Dutch flower- and plant exporters about hte consequences of physical inspections that will now be carried out upon entry to the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom will launch the second phase of its post-Brexit border control upscaling on Tuesday, which steps up physical checks of plant and animal imports from the European Union at U.K. ports and border crossings.

Last year, flower and plant exports to the United Kingdom totaled 993 million euros, making it the second-largest foreign market for the Dutch sector. The flower and plant exporters’ association, VGB, already raised concerns about the British Border Target Operating Model scheme in January.

The new rules could have a harsh impact on the Dutch horticulture sector, as flower bulbs, cut flowers and woody crops will all be subject to the new rules. Until now, the inspections were allowed to be carried out when the plant and animal products arrived at their destination. By moving them to the external border, the sectors are fearing the worst and are predicting long delays amid a confusing rollout.

According to Matthijs Mesken of the VGB, there is insufficient capacity in the ports to carry out the inspections, causing delays that could be devastating to Dutch exporters. “Sometimes as many as 150 trucks with flowers and plants arrive at the same time. Of these, 100 percent of the plants and an expected 3 to 10 percent of the flowers will have to be checked. The question is, which ones do they take out? And what if the refrigerated trucks have to wait in the sun? What consequences does that have for the quality?”

The British authorities have said that if there is too much congestion, they’ll send flower trucks through unchecked. “But then you get arbitrariness,” Meskens told ANP.

Each physical inspection costs around 500 to 1,000 euros, Mesken said. “That could easily be about 3 percent of the value.” Exporters often have long-running contracts with customers and can't simply adjust the price to absorb these extra costs.

In January, VGB asked the British government to delay the project to 2025 out of concern that the same cargo traffic jams would form at the British border as did immediately after Brexit in 2020. The project has been delayed repeatedly since the United Kingdom exited the European Union.

It was rumored that it would be delayed again even as recently as last week, with port operators reportedly mystified as to how the physical checks will be conducted, and who will foot the bill.

Mesken of the VGB pointed out that all plants and flowers are also checked in the Netherlands before they’re exported. He advocates for a trade agreement, like before the Brexit. “It went well for 40 years without inspections, let’s make agreements so this is possible again in the future,” he told the news wire.