UK Consumers Face Food Shortages in 2022

Next year could bring food supply disruptions and empty grocery store shelves to people in the U.K. thanks to new EU border controls, British food industry officials are warning.

As The Telegraph reported Wednesday (Dec. 29), the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) says stricter controls on plant and animal products imported into the UK from the EU — set to go into effect Jan. 1 — could create significant delays at Britain’s ports.

BFFF chief executive Richard Harrow told the Telegraph that some of the shipping changes were not well-understood by many businesses in the EU.

Read more: Brexit-Related Frictions Drive Demand For eCommerce Fulfillment and Logistics

“The system requires haulage companies to pre-lodge the arrival of a load to the U.K. before it departs from the EU port of embarkation,” said Harrow. “Whilst many U.K. hauliers are well prepared for this change, we suspect many EU hauliers are not.”

Beginning with the new year, importers will have to make full customs declaration when their merchandise enters the U.K., instead of the 175-day window they enjoyed following Brexit.

“Whilst the U.K. authorities have said they will not stop vehicles that do not complete all the documents correctly, this assumes the EU port will allow a vehicle without the correct paperwork to leave port,” Harrow said.

He added that there were also changes to the import process his organization’s members were “unaware of, or [had a] lack of clarity on what they need to do to comply with the regulations.”

“With only days to go before the new rules, we remain concerned that January could be a fraught month for our members,” Harrow said.

Read more: By Land or Sea, Shipping Woes Worsen Amid Crew Shortages

Meanwhile, 2022 could be a fraught year for the supply chain, as PYMNTS reported earlier this week. The International Road Transport Union says about 20% of all trucking jobs remain open, despite rising wages.

Simon Heaney, an analyst at maritime research consultancy Drewry, told Bloomberg News that the next year could be “another year of severe disruption, under supply and extreme cost for cargo owners.”