Sunniya Ahmad Pirzada CGTN
UK's Road Haulage Association has urged the government to increase the number of customs agents to help firms navigate the mountains of post-Brexit paperwork. /Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
A UK hauliers' trade body has said that exports from Britain to the European Union (EU) fell by 68 percent last month compared with January 2020.
The trade disruption came after the end of a transition period following Britain's departure from the EU, according to the Road Haulage Association (RHA).
After a survey of its international members, the RHA assessed a significant decrease in the volume of traffic carried on ferries and through the Channel Tunnel and reported its findings to the UK's Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove.
Richard Burnett, the RHA's chief executive, also told the minister how he and his officials had repeatedly warned the government over several months of difficulties and called for measures to ease the problems, but no attention was paid to these.
All through last year, RHA had urged the government to increase the number of customs agents to help firms navigate the extra paperwork, saying the current number of around 10,000 agents is still about a fifth of what is necessary.
Burnett also told The Observer newspaper that about 65 to 75 percent of vehicles arriving from the EU were going back empty.
This was mainly due to a lack of goods, delays on the UK side, and because some UK companies had either temporarily or permanently stopped exporting to the bloc.
UK exports to EU fall 68% since deal as Brexit chaos worsens
Haulage disruption at UK ports caused by Brexit dragged down British exports last month.
Exports from Britain to the EU fell by 68% in January as trade was disrupted after the end of the transition period following Britain’s departure from the European Union, according to a British trade body representing hauliers.
The British government did not confirm the data and said disruption at the border had been minimal since Britain completed its journey out of the EU’s orbit at the end of 2020 following an agreement on trading arrangements.
Since the start of the year, businesses and hauliers have had to adapt to new trading arrangements, including new systems for companies and officials in Northern Ireland.
Some businesses have struggled with new customs declarations and health certificates as the coronavirus pandemic also hit firms.
International members at the UK-based Road Haulage Association reported a 68% fall in exports in January, the group said.
The UK government said it engages with the sector and does “not recognise the figure provided on exports”.
“Thanks to the hard work of hauliers and traders to prepare for change, disruption at the border has so far been minimal and freight movements are now close to normal levels, despite the Covid-19 pandemic,” it said in a statement.
Mr Burnett wrote to Britain’s Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove earlier this month, following up on what he said were repeated warnings — over several months — of Brexit-related problems with exports leaving Britain for the EU.
He said there was an urgent need for an increased number of customs agents to help companies with paperwork and red tape.
There are currently around 10,000 customs agents in the UK — about a fifth of what the RHA deems as the required amount.
Mr Burnett said up to 75% of trucks entering the UK from the EU were returning empty due to there being no goods to bring back on account of hold-ups in the UK.
“Michael Gove is the master of extracting information from you and giving nothing back,” Mr Burnett told newspaper
No comments:
Post a Comment