Thread by @pmdfoster

🚨🚨🚚🚛🚨🚨email from Robert Hardy @RobHardyFR8 whose Customs Clearance Consortium is part of govt’s £200m scheme for GB-NI border warns of “huge shortage” of customs agents. Via @SJAMcBride /1

newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/…

He adds: “Export from GB with import to Ireland [is] amongst the most complicated...We expect heavy volumes at Dover from tonight as GB exports start to ramp up and many transporters do not have transit and EU clearance in place.” ...remember @BrandonLewis ‘no border’ tweet 🙄/2

He then warns - as @RHARichardB had warned - that the issue is companies providing poorly cleansed/matched data...and announces CCC doesn’t have capacity to raise docs in mainland EU/3

This is example of what Biz needs to do when moving agri foods - hauliers and vets tell me there is still no solution from Defra/Daera on how to do multiple pickups that require export health certificates at each stop (not uncommon) /4

In the next week or two we’ll see how these issue play into supply chains - and the issue that trucks flow in a cycle, GB-NI/IE-GB...so you need enough returning to keep the flow going. /5

I’ve been sent pic of Sainsbury’s in NI (Lisburn) stocking meat from Spar, which is making folk curious - tho not clear exactly why. /6

That’s not necessarily and issue - meat is meat - and it’s likely that supply chains will reorientate anyway.

Also Supermarkets to NI get a host of easements and derogations to keep show on the road.../7

It may be that the greater hassle is in goods that want to transit to GB via Ireland at short notice...which seems to be an unresolved areas.

But tbh everyone is gonna have to wait and see how this shakes down. /8

Be interesting to see take of @MichaelAodhan @Freight_NI at NI Affairs select cmme this AM (0930). You can watch here. ENDS

parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/d7…

Ps. The inestimable @JP_Biz has the answer to the Sainsbury’s stocking Spar meat curiosity. Contingency planning.

bbc.com/news/uk-northe…