The government has on Friday extended the easement of import checks on “medium risk” fruit and vegetables imported from the EU from January 2025 to 1 July 2025.
Such products will not be subject to import checks at the British border or charged the associated fees until this date.
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said this easement is a temporary measure to ensure that new ministers have a full and thorough opportunity to review the planned implementation of further border controls, and an opportunity to listen to businesses across import supply chains.
Eight years after it voted to leave the European Union, Britain is still in the process of bringing in all the physical checks required on imports.
The first phase of the so called new Border Target Operating Model, requiring additional certification, came into force on 31 January.
A second phase kicked off in April introducing physical checks at ports for so called “medium risk” animal products, plants and plant products, such as meat, fish, cheese, eggs, dairy products and certain cut flowers. New charges have also been introduced.
The next phase, which would include fruit and vegetables, could result in more expensive shopping bills for British consumers as the country imports about 80 per cent of its fruit and about 50 per cent of its vegetables, although not all from the EU.
The new checks are forecast to add costs of £200 million to the fruit and vegetable industry, according to estimates by the Fresh Produce Consortium.
Defra has also changed the risk categorisation of certain plants and plant products, including deregulation of certain products, following further scientific review of commodities across all plant and plant product risk categories.
Seven commodity groups (including apples and pears) will be recategorised from medium risk to low risk, allowing these goods to move freely into GB from the EU, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
These changes will come into force on 30 January 2025.
Defra said it will continue the “systematic, proactive screening” of potential new and emerging biosecurity risks, alongside maintaining the responsive approach to changes in risk levels via surveillance, enhanced inspection, regulation, import controls, research and awareness raising.
