By Anthony Reuben
BBC Reality Check
image copyrightReuters
It has been a week since the UK ended its transition period and ended its separation from the European Union.
British companies had to fill out customs forms to export to European countries, but we didn’t see long lines on the Kent highways, as some feared.
Scene view
Simon Jones, BBC News in Dover
In many ways, it has been business as usual at the Port of Dover and on the Eurotunnel. A steady stream of trucks embarks on ferries and trains to France.
But the new year also brought new controls for transporters. The bottleneck forecasts in Kent have not come to fruition, but traffic is still exceptionally low – probably due to stock in the run for Christmas.
As more carriers return to the roads, the new system will face tougher testing – mainly because Covid testing for those looking to travel to France must continue for at least a few more weeks.
On Monday morning, the Department of Transportation said that only about 1% of the trucks had appeared without the correct customs paperwork, with another 3% being sent to Manston for testing because it did not have the necessary Covid result. It has not updated these numbers since.
But on Thursday, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) told BBC News that about one in five trucks was being turned down for both reasons.
He estimated that there were about 2,000 trucks a day in each direction taking the Dover-Calais ferry crossing and passing through the Channel Tunnel, compared to a normal daily number of 5,000-6,000.
image copyrightPA MediaJohn Glen, chief economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Supply, told BBC News that he heard from customs agents working in Dover that there was a lack of preparation by companies and a lack of capacity from customs agents that companies have hired to help.
This is expected to improve over time, but the people involved “are concerned that demand will increase faster than capacity,” he said.
The head of Sainsbury’s also said that while the flow of goods was going well so far, the real test would be in a few weeks, when there would be normal levels of traffic.
John Glen added that many of the problems before Christmas were because ports like Felixstowe and Southampton were congested, in part because the dock staff were sick. This meant that ships were avoiding UK ports and dropping containers in Antwerp or Zeebrugge, leaving them to be transported by road, which added to the problems for roll-on roll-off ports like Dover.
There were reports of other problems in the first week:
- Business leaders said there was
“significant problems” with goods going from Britain to Northern Ireland. Six trucks from the first ferry that arrived in Belfast on January 1 were delayed due to incomplete paperwork
- Although the UK government was able to extend most trade agreements with third countries, it was part of the EU that did not include Ghana. It was mentioned in Parliament this week that a £ 17,500 fee was charged in Portsmouth over a banana shipment from Ghana
- There has been confusion about customs declarations on orders going from Britain to Northern Ireland, with some retailers, such as John Lewis, suspending deliveries. Northern Ireland’s Economy Minister Diane Dodds wrote to the UK government saying: “There is significant cause for concern for both businesses and consumers”
- Japanese automaker Honda has suspended production at its Swindon plant blaming the delays in global supply. I had also done this in December due to congestion at the ports
- Parents of children with severe epilepsy said they were no longer able to obtain prescriptions for a specific medical cannabis oil from the Netherlands. The health secretary said he was working with the Dutch government to find a solution
- Some online retailers specializing in EU countries have stopped delivering to the UK, saying they would face higher costs and increased bureaucracy to comply with UK tax authorities
- Trading in shares of companies in EU countries, previously held in London, has switched to exchanges in other European countries
- The Small Business Federation says that many UK companies have temporarily suspended EU imports and exports to see how the new changes will happen before deciding on next steps.
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