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LONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Britain believes it can resolve
the post-Brexit "teething issues" that have prevented Scottish
fishermen from exporting goods to the European Union because of
customs delays, food and environment minister George Eustice
said.
Some EU importers have rejected truck loads of Scottish fish
since Jan. 1 after the need for catch certificates, health
checks and export declarations meant they had taken too long to
arrive, angering fishermen who are facing financial ruin if the
trade cannot be resumed.
Eustice told parliament his staff had held meetings with
Dutch, French and Irish officials to try to "iron out some of
these teething problems".
"They are only teething problems," he said. "When people get
used to using the paperwork goods will flow."
Eustice said with no grace period to introduce the rules,
the industry was having to adapt to them in real time, dealing
with such issues as what colour of ink can be used to fill in
forms. He added that while the government was considering
compensation for sectors hit by the post-Brexit changes, he was
now focusing on fixing the delays for fishermen.
Logistics providers, which are now struggling to deliver
goods in a timely manner, have said the change to life outside
the single market and customs union is much more significant and
while delivery times can improve, it will now cost more and take
longer to export.
To get fresh produce to EU markets, logistics providers now
have to summarise the load, giving commodity codes, product
types, gross weight, the number of boxes and value, plus other
details. Errors can mean longer delays, hitting French importers
that have also been hit by the red tape.
(Reporting by Kate Holton and Paul Sandle, editing by Elizabeth
Piper)