Just last week, the British government announced that after more than two years of delay, quality control and import clearances of shipments from EU countries would finally begin, following the country's exit from the EU.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, this has led companies to describe the new border controls by the authorities as a ‘disaster’.
The new system and border controls, which came into effect in early May, were already accelerated before their launch, after several European producers, including Danish ones, expressed concerns in January about an incomplete IT system when the first of the new customs regulations were introduced.
In the implementation of Brexit (which also involved the UK leaving the customs union), it was agreed that European food producers must pre-register in order to export to Great Britain.
The numerous IT failures have led to documents having to be checked manually, but the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told the newspaper that they are working to resolve the problems.