Brexit consequences: the British are left with salmon, whiskey and cheddar

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The clerk behind the cheese counter in a Berlin organic supermarket is rigorous.

"Cheddar?

We have Brexit, ”she explains briefly, why the British hard cheese made from cow's milk is not on offer.

It could take a while until the loaves - named after their place of origin, a town of the same name in the south-west of England - are back on the German store shelves in the same quantity as before the turn of the year.

The export of cheese from the UK to the EU fell by 85 percent in January, according to data from the industry association Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

Stilton, Cheshire or Waterloo worth 6.8 million pounds (7.9 million euros) were exported to the EU in January, compared with 45.3 million pounds in the same month last year.

It hit salmon and beef even more clearly.

£ 500,000 worth of salmon, often smoked and sourced from Scottish waters, was sent to the EU, down 98 percent.

Beef exports fell by 92 percent.

Whiskey, traditionally by far the largest item among food exports to the EU, fell 63 percent to 38.9 million pounds.

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"It is extremely worrying that our exports to the EU fell more than 75 percent in January," said Dominic Goudie, FDF's international trade director.

He admitted that Brexit was not the only trigger for the poor result.

On the one hand, the pandemic and closed catering are affecting demand across Europe.

On the other hand, some of the orders had been brought forward with a view to Brexit, so that stocks were available for some goods.

The bottom line is that trade barriers as a result of Brexit are likely to be responsible for the largest part of the decline.

This is also suggested by the development of Great Britain's foreign trade with the rest of the world.

It fell by eleven percent in January.

Source: WORLD infographic

In a framework agreement for future trade relations, London and Brussels stipulated in December that no customs duties would be due for the exchange of goods between the two sides.

So-called non-tariff trade barriers mean that border crossing is anything but smooth.

Customs controls, food certificates, veterinary checks and significant documentation requirements have been part of everyday life for exporters since the beginning of the year.

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"Brexit update !!!

38 pages of paperwork to export to France and over £ 500 extra cost per delivery, it's crazy, ”ranted Jamie McMillan, managing director of Loch Fyne Seafarms, which sells marine animals such as crabs, lobsters and clams, on Twitter.

Association representative Goudie said that smaller and medium-sized providers would be hit particularly hard by the additional requirements.

The so-called groupage no longer works.

Several smaller shipments are bundled and shipped as one load, but due to the considerable amount of documentation required for all products, the model is hardly possible, especially for perishable goods.

Source: WORLD infographic

After Germany, the minus for food was particularly pronounced at 81 percent.

The decline in exports to neighboring Ireland, which is the most important destination for British food because of the traditionally close ties, was even slightly higher.

In January, the Irish Republic fell behind France as an export destination.

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Great Britain's trade with the European Union also suffered a severe blow in other areas of goods in January.

According to data from the ONS statistics office, exports shrank by 41 percent, imports fell by 29 percent. The decreases were the most significant since comparable records began 23 years ago.

Government officials emphasize that it was an outlier.

Trade has returned to normal since the beginning of February, said David Frost, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's European Commissioner, recently.

However, freight forwarders and shippers doubt this interpretation.

They refer to their own experiences.

Although more trucks are on the way again, many of them would, unlike in the past, start their return journey without a load.

Even weeks after the formal conclusion, the dispute over Brexit has not lost any of its emotionality.

Richard Burnett, managing director of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), pointed out numerous problems for the industry in an open letter to the responsible minister Michael Gove and asked for discussions and support.

The Ministry reacted somewhat undiplomatically and published its own views and data on the current situation in an armored reply to Burnett's letter.

The Ministry of Agriculture emphasized this week that freight volumes have been back to normal since February.

A spokesman referred to special factors for January and to the fact that companies first have to get used to the new trade relationship.

However, the government sees an important solution in opening up new sales markets.

"By the end of this decade, 66 percent of middle-class consumers worldwide are expected to be in Asia," warned Liz Truss, Minister for International Trade, Farmers and Food Manufacturers, at the end of February.

“They are hungry for top quality food and drinks.” High meat prices in Asia and interest in imported meat in the USA offer considerable opportunities, said Truss.

Government workshops, consultation rounds and mentoring programs are designed to help producers enter the new markets.

In future, there will also be stricter rules for imports

Some of the goods could soon also meet with higher domestic demand.

In January, food imports were down by 18 percent, significantly less than exports.

With the EU, the decrease was a quarter.

But "EU exporters will face very similar difficulties when the UK has a full border regime from 2022," warned Goudie.

For a transitional phase, the British government will not be subject to strict controls on imports.

Originally, stricter rules were to be introduced gradually from April to July.

The date has now been postponed until the end of the year.