Post-Brexit costs of food, plant and animal imports to Britain from the EU have increased.
In addition to health certificates which will now be required on a range of EU goods from fresh cut flowers, to fresh produce including meat, fruit and vegetables, all see prices rise.
Some industry bodies raised concerns the rules could cause delays and push up costs, but others said they would help UK farmers be more competitive.
The government said its border model would “minimize burdens for traders”.
The UK left the EU exactly four years ago, but it has taken some time for the government to implement new trade rules – legally required under the Brexit agreement – for goods travelling from the EU to the UK.
Wednesday marks the start of the changes as Britain begins reversing the free flow of such goods, which has been allowed since the creation of the EU single market in 1993. Red tape has already applied for British exporters trading in the other direction for three years.
The implementation of the changes has been delayed five times, in part to give businesses time to prepare and to reduce disruption to supply chains. The new border checks will also be phased in over the next year, with physical checks starting from 30 April.
The physical checks down the line have prompted fears of disruption to business supply chains. For example, lorries carrying goods could be stopped at ports to ensure they have the correct documentation. Concerns remain that extra checks will see import costs for businesses rise, and in turn prices for consumers.
But from Wednesday, the main change is the introduction of “export health certificates” on imports of “medium risk” animal products, as well as plants and plant products imported to Britain from the EU. The trade rules cover goods ranging from cut flowers, to cheese, fish and meats.
This means a veterinary health check will be required to be carried out in the EU on every consignment of meat, fruit and vegetable produce set to enter Britain.
While not all produce will require checks, in practice importers tend to have a mixture of goods, so most consignments will do, according to industry experts.
Controls are also being applied on goods from Ireland for the first time, but the government said its Windsor Framework means goods will move freely to and from Northern Ireland.
Ben Appleton from Liverpool Wholesale Flowers told the BBC there was no need for the extra bureaucracy.
“A lot of it is already checked before it leaves anyways. On plants especially, we have plant passports in place anyways and that was all done prior to Brexit in the first place,” he said.
