UK-EU deal will ‘dissolve’ £60m a year of costs for plant trade, says Angela Eagle

A new agreement will eliminate border checks and paperwork for plant imports, saving the horticulture industry about £60 million a year, the environment secretary said. The changes, to take effect next week under the UK‑EU post‑Brexit deal, aim to ease the administrative burden on importers. However, the measure will not reimburse firms for the large sums already spent on border controls. The announcement follows the UK‑EU summit scheduled for 20 November.

Signing of agreement to smooth movement of food, plants and animals next week will not recoup huge sums firms were forced to spendThe removal of border checks and paperwork on plant imports will “dissolve” £60m of annual costs for the horticulture industry when the UK and EU’s new post-Brexit deal comes in, the environment secretary has said.Before the UK-EU summit on 20 November, Angela Eagle said she hoped paperwork headaches for importers would “disappear” after the changes, although the move would not help businesses recoup the large sums they spent to deal with border controls. Continue reading...