Britons Finally Taste Full Brexit as Costly Border Checks Begin | EU food imports to the UK are about to get more expensive and complicated — and it starts with bacon

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-04-26/britons-finally-taste-full-brexit-as-costly-border-checks-begin

by bloomberg

24 comments

  1. *From Bloomberg News reporter Ellen Milligan:*

    Just down the corridor from where Danish Crown’s pigs are slaughtered, boned and prepared for export as bacon, six staff have a new task: filling in customs and health certificates made necessary by the UK’s split from its largest trading partner.

    The scene at the abattoir in Blans, Denmark, lays bare the change created by Brexit: More time than ever spent on untangling red tape for shipments to Britain. From April 30, the UK will impose checks on fresh food imports — a stark reversal from the era of frictionless trade when the country was part of the European Union.

    Ministers have delayed the change multiple times, wary of stoking inflation in a cost-of-living crisis and knowing that any repeat of empty supermarket shelves — caused in recent times by everything from climate change to a shortage of truck drivers — would be politically toxic.

    But almost eight years after the 2016 Brexit referendum, companies and consumers are about to experience close to the end result.

  3. Got to keep that fear factor alive 🤣. I’m terrified 😂

  4. Fruit and veg from all over the globe, no problem, food imports from a trading block right on our doorstep, impossible!

    Strange that.

  5. It will be personal experience, but as much as they keep wailing about empty shelves and more expensive food….Literally not seen it.

    I shop a couple of times a week. I have certainly already observed gradual changes in where my food comes from; I’ve seen Israel and various South American countries pop up in place of European states for a few items but it’s no more expensive compared to what was before general inflation/price hikes etc.

    Maybe there are some food deserts somewhere on the UK where people are paying more than they expected. Maybe I’ll be wrong, but this seems like yet another nothing burger.

  6. Oh my God! Bacon? What next? Beans? The end of the world?

  7. The phrase, “be careful what you wish for because It may come true.” Comes to mind.

  8. It’s not like UK is unable to make trade deals anymore just because it has left previous trade deal that was in EU membership package. If something becomes an issue UK will negotiate a deal and EU will gladly accept if it’s mutually beneficial. It is already happening, but sure it might take some time or inconvenience.

    The whole idea of Brexit wasn’t to “set sail and swim away from EU”, it was to renegotiate the deals UK didn’t like but could not renegotiate while in EU because they were part of the package.

  9. Brexiteers STILL do not understand what they voted for. Unbelievable.

  10. “Let them eat cake.” -the deceased queen tyrant who gunned for Brexit

  11. “Let them eat cake.” -the deceased queen tyrant who gunned for Brexit

    Shortages and austerity aren’t the only problem, the economics and food safety standards will decline.

  12. The dregs of the UK subs out in force, as per usual.

    I seem to remember there was a time when there were supposed to be benefits to all this. Instead of it ‘not being that bad’.

  13. Isn’t that exactly what they wanted? Make import more difficult, so that local producers are more competitive. Sure it would mean higher prices, but that’s the price to pay.

  14. Can barely get the medicines we need already. There is no chance we’re a first world country anymore.

  16. It is my understanding that the eu have been carrying out these checks on UK exports for some time, a couple of years or so. We have now started to do it on their products. The people I see being adversely affected are those such as Spanish vegetable growers and others exporting to the UK. I’m just as happy to eat English bacon as Danish, or spring onions from Morocco rather than Spain. The Eu may not be so happy once their farmers start losing their livelihoods, so future negotiations may take place.

    I do not believe we will see empty supermarket shelves. The blip we had a few months ago was europe wide. Also we strangely have enough lorry drivers again. Not pro brexit, just anti bullshit and fear mongering.

  18. Well, yeah.

    This will give domestic UK pork producers a better chance to compete, which was the whole point I guess.

  19. There have already been a few spells of empty shelves in a few food categories but these haven’t been permanent and supply usually resumes after a week or two

  21. The joke’s on us I guess, judging by the supermarket prices here in The Netherlands.

  22. Sure thing Bloomberg. In reality though- most people notice no difference. Prices still lower than the EU.

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