LONDON (Reuters) -Britain is proposing to delay checks on fruit and vegetables imported from the European Union by a further six months to next July, according to an industry body.
Eight years after it voted to leave the European Union, Britain is still in the process of bringing in all the physical checks required on imports. It launched a first phase of checks on meat, fish, cheese and other products in April.
The next phase, which would include fruit and vegetables, has already been delayed until Jan. 31 2025, and according to industry body, the Fresh Produce Consortium, Britain’s environment department Defra is proposing another extension until Jul. 1 2025.
Defra declined to comment when contacted by Reuters on Friday.
The cost of the new checks could result in more expensive shopping bills for British consumers as the country imports about 80% of its fruit and about 50% of its vegetables, although not all from the EU.
The new checks are forecast to add costs of 200 million pounds to the fruit and vegetable industry, the FPC estimates.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by William James)
