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Changes are coming to UK trade with the EU 
SMEs especially need to have someone they can rely on to speed up UK imports and control costs 

Don’t forget that from 1st January 2022 full controls of UK imports from the EU come into effect. If you have not yet begun planning on how you can reduce delays and control costs from the beginning of next year then you should begin to do so urgently and a quick word with Aerona (Air & Sea) Customs Clearing Agents could well be the ideal way to get things moving. 

At Aerona we recently came across an excellent article that highlighted many of the potential problems lying in wait for companies involved in UK imports. The article also offered a few very valuable pieces of advice. 

Obviously we cannot reproduce that article here, but we have attempted to summarise the main points in the hope that it will assist companies (especially SMEs) who are involved in UK imports from the EU. 

Overall trade between the UK and the EU fell by about a quarter in the first three months of 2021. This was partly due to the newness of Brexit, but in addition the global COVID-19 pandemic obviously played a major role. 

It also has to be said that border controls have been more facilitating for UK goods entering the EU that it has vice-versa. While trade between the UK and the EU has continued, it has not been without problems. The food and drinks sector in particular has been hard hit. Larger concerns are now slowly coming to terms with these new difficulties but for the SME sector there are still many significant issues to be overcome. 

Many affected companies involved with UK imports are complaining of increased delays, added paperwork and stubborn bureaucracy that lead to a consequential rise in costs. Also the haulage sector has been particularly affected with a severe shortfall in drivers due to Brexit and COVID-19 restrictions. 

All this of course impacts on a company’s ability to deal with UK imports and exports both effectively and economically. 

Evidence of these major problems is now becoming all too obvious by the number of empty supermarket shelves and longer lead times on UK imports. 

This, plus growing problems with cargo insurance here and in the EU, are leading to many smaller importers (especially those involved with mixed groupage loads) becoming increasingly more worried about how their businesses will cope after the beginning of January next year. 

Some companies and organisations (particularly the larger ones) now have their own in-house import/export teams, who are equipped to deal with this level of emergency, but this strategy is simply not possible nor is it economic for smaller businesses. 

The answer has to be that SME businesses must find a specialist ally who can help and advise them when it comes to dealing with what is a previously unencountered market-force.  

As one of the UK’s leading import/export specialists, well acquainted with organising and handling UK imports and exports not only to and from the EU but all across the globe, we at Aerona are well qualified to assist both importers and exporters overcome the troubling difficulties on new UK imports controls that become effective from New Year’s day 2022. 

If you believe that the new Brexit controls will affect your business then please do not hesitate to speak to Aerona. We will do everything we can to ensure that we help you to minimise delays, control costs and help your business to overcome the added border control pressures you will soon be facing.
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