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According to Logistics UK.
New research by business group Logistics UK has raised the prospect of increased food prices and the potential for shortages in shops as a result of delays caused by the implementation of the new European Entry and Exit System (EES).
Working with independent modelling experts MDS Transmodal, Logistics UK’s exclusive insight examines the potential impact of delays on trade across the Channel Short Straits – the route between Dover and Calais – on the UK economy. And as Kevin Green, the business group’s policy director, explains, the introduction of the new EES could have a significant impact on the UK’s supply chain unless any potential delays can be mitigated or, at the very least, minimised:
“The Short Straits is critical to the UK’s trade with the EU, handling more than half of all goods carried in trailers and containers. Goods travelling across this route range from exports of Scottish seafood, fresh meat and clothing to imports of fresh fruit and vegetables and even cocoa – it is a critical part of the UK’s supply chain, and one that both businesses and consumers rely on every day.
“With new border checks required as part of the new EES for all non-EU nationals entering the EU, including those travelling from GB, worst case scenarios set out to the European Scrutiny Committee in Westminster by Ashford Borough Council estimated delays of up to 14 hours for passengers. Any delay in the processing of passengers will have a knock-on impact in terms of disruption and delay to freight along this route, and we estimate that this would cost £1,100 per truck, a cost which would have to be passed on to the end customer or consumer. And even if delays were limited to 90 minutes for the 3.35 million HGVs that passed through the Short Straits in 2023, the cost to the economy would be £400 million pa. This is a cost that the logistics industry cannot just absorb, not least because our members already operate on incredibly narrow margins and are facing rising operating costs that are putting pressure on their ability to keep trading. Read more
Source: LOGISTICS UK
