The owner of Sussex-based fruit and veg importer Fruco plc said “nobody knows” what the new tariff plan outlined in the Brexit White Paper means.
Simon Lane, managing director of Fruco, which imports fruit and veg from Spain, Italy and France, also warned any new customs clearance procedures are a “major step backwards”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme, he told host Winifred Robinson that the new White Paper policy proposals remained unclear to businesses involved in importing goods to Britain.
When asked if he understood the tariff proposals, dubbed a “facilitated customs arrangement”, Lane said: “No not really, it seems like nobody knows, including the government, so what chance do us business owners have?
Theresa May’s Brexit plan outlined in the White Paper currently aims for goods regulations alignment with the EU to ensure frictionless borders.
But the plan is set on regaining the UK’s right to make its own tariffs on imports, meaning an unprecedented and complex process whereby Britain will collect EU tariffs at its own borders, on goods bound for Europe.
The EU meanwhile will be expected to collect British tariffs on goods travelling through Europe for the UK, a process described as a 'third way' by Theresa May, that can prevent a hard Irish border.
Lane continued: “If we reinstate borders and subsequent customs clearances and tariffs we will be taking a major step backwards, a major part of produce sold in the UK comes from abroad, we need supply and they want to supply it, why complicate things?'
When asked by Robinson why goods would take longer to pass through customs after Britain leaves the EU, Lane said current imports from non-EU countries already take much longer.
“It takes a long time to take a vehicle through from when it arrives, around three to six hours. That’s what it used to take before we were border free, we had vehicles sitting in the UK ports for one to six hours.”
“They just need to leave things as they are. Prices could go through the roof if we have all of these changes, fruit and veg are as expensive enough as they are, people will face price increases,” Lane concluded.
