New European import laws are threatening to cause significant delays to produce shipments arriving in the UK market.

EU Regulations 1148/2001, which are to be enforced to govern minimum quality, will require every consignment arriving in the country to undergo inspection and certification before it can continue its journey, bringing the possibility of lengthy customs delays at ports and airports.

At the Fresh Produce Consortium's annual press conference on Monday, ceo Doug Henderson said he was concerned that the problem may be compounded by a shortage of available staff from the department of the environment, food and rural affairs. Defra will be the organisation responsible for the inspection process, when the regulations are introduced.

The FPC is working to postpone implementation of the new regime while these issues are resolved.

'We have secured a six-month stay of execution, which takes us to July,' said Henderson. 'But I'm not confident that we will have a solution by that time, so we will be looking for further deferment.'

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