Britain delays Brexit import checks to avert supply disruption

The U.K. government said it will delay imposing post-Brexit checks on imports coming from the European Union in a bid to avert disruption to supplies this summer.

The U.K. won’t require firms to file customs declarations immediately for any imports from the EU until Jan. 1, 2022, instead of July 1 this year, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said in a written statement to Parliament. Border inspections of food products will also be delayed.

“We have listened to businesses who have made a strong case that they need more time to prepare,” Gove said. “We have given strong weight to the disruption which has been caused, and is still being caused, by Covid.”

The postponement prolongs Britain’s hands-off approach to checks on goods coming from the bloc—its largest trading partner—since the country completed its split from the EU at the end of 2020. In contrast, the EU imposed full customs controls on the U.K.’s exports to the bloc, causing delays to shipments, lost revenue for businesses, and a decline in freight volumes.

The original April deadline—which would have required firms to submit additional paperwork for food products—was set to coincide with the re-opening of Britain’s economy from lockdown. The country’s hospitality and logistics sector had warned that the new formalities could lead to product shortages.

Instead, firms won’t have to fill in the additional paperwork for food imports until October, Gove said.