The British Ports Association (BPA) last week welcomed the UK government’s announcement that the enforcement of post-Brexit border controls on inbound European freight would be extended from the current July 1st deadline through to January 2022.
BPA chief executive Richard Ballantyne said that the BPA welcomed the UK government’s “pragmatic decision”.
He said that much of the infrastructure being built to facilitate these border controls was unlikely to be ready by July “so this move enables ports to prepare better for what will be a major change in our trading relationship with Europe.”
Ballantyne said that the move would “enable our trade to continue to flow fluidly until the new facilities are complete.”
Ballantyne said that “of course there is much to do and once completed these border processes will introduce major changes at ports but this extension goes a long way to helping ports and the logistics industry get ready”
The government announced that customs and SPS controls would not be implemented until January 2022.