industry focus
Could we face empty plates for Christmas?
A leading trade group has raised concerns that a new fingerprint scheme to tighten EU border checks could disrupt fresh food deliveries ahead of Christmas.
Logistics UK said the rules, which mandate fingerprint and facial recognition checks for all non-EU travellers at Dover, could lead to significant delays and interruptions in the flow of goods.
The group has called for a nationwide publicity campaign to mitigate potential disruptions as the EU prepares to implement its new Entry/Exit System (EES) on 10 November.
According to calculations, the EES could extend processing times for a car with a family of four from under a minute to seven minutes, with research from Imperial College London suggesting that every extra minute adds about 10 miles to queues.
The trade group also estimates the cost of border delays at £1.30 a minute with 14-hour delays involving an extra cost of £1,100 per truck, which will then be passed along to consumers.
Logistics UK, which represents road, rail and marine transport firms, said the changes threaten to disrupt truck traffic during the “food shoulder”, which is when the onset of winter leaves Britain reliant on imported products.
Under the new system, people waiting in cars and lorries at Dover will be passed a tablet and asked to scan their own fingerprints and photos.
Those boarding Eurotunnel vehicle shuttles at Folkestone and Eurostar trains at St Pancras International will be directed to special booths.
Logistics UK head of trade Nichola Mallon said that while most truckers are EU nationals and won’t need to undergo scans, a knock-on effect from any delays to car traffic is inevitable and will result in lorries being forced to queue for hours on the M2.
“If the EES is implemented as planned, I’m afraid we’re facing a huge upheaval in the supply chain,” she said.
“The Government needs to take the lead now on raising awareness among the public, managing their expectations and signposting where they can go for advice.”
