Vegetable growers in the UK have said crops could be adversely hit this year after post-Brexit border changes resulted in delays to seed imports.
Trade bodies representing UK tomato and pepper growers said new rules for seed imports from the EU were causing delays of up to six weeks for deliveries, disrupting their growing schedules and finances.
The British Tomato Growers' Association (BTGA) said the delays were threatening yields and reducing the profitability of growers, while the Cucumber and Pepper Growers' Association (CPGA) said the significant holdups were causing "costly crop delays" for some members.
The problems were a result of post-Brexit rules that came into force on the 30 April and require import checks on a number of plant and animal products. These take place at border control posts (BCPs) at ports. The rules mean that for some high-risk seeds, including tomato, pepper and oilseed rape, testing in Britain is now required, in addition to checks in the country of origin.
Read more at theguardian.com