Urgent clarification is still required from the government about how the new border checks will work and the cost implications for SMEs when they come into force on 30 April, writes Chris Tindall.
Both the Logistics UK and Cold Chain Federation have expressed their concern. With just over a week to go before the new border target operating model (BTOM) goes live, Logistics UK said its members did not share the government’s confidence that everything would run smoothly.
Cold Chain Federation said the ‘ongoing confusion about how and when new checks will be introduced makes these preparations incredibly challenging’.
The government said it had ‘full confidence’ that the infrastructure and systems were in place for health and safety checks on EU imports of certain food goods to commence at the end of the month.
