FactsReason

The CEO of the Fresh Produce Consortium, Nigel Jenney, had some strong words yesterday for the EU Reset: ❌ £300m a year in extra costs ❌ Increase food price inflation ❌ Adding further delay and waste ❌ No gain for biosecurity "Half of the fresh produce the UK imports comes from outside the EU – citrus, mangoes, blueberries, sweet potatoes, peppers. Under dynamic alignment, up to 120,000 of those consignments a year, destined solely for British consumers, would face EU-style controls they do not need today. That moves the burden somewhere else; it does not simplify anything. “We are a large, diverse nation that has always depended on food imports as a key part of our food security. For generations we have imported far more than we export. So why put extra costs on the 80 billion portions of fresh produce behind our five-a-day habit? “We estimate more than £300 million a year in added cost. That is roughly £2,500 for every affected consignment, and it will fall on importers, hauliers and wholesalers and, in the end, on shoppers at the checkout. “The Government has said this deal will help bring down food price inflation for families. On fresh produce, as drafted, it will do the opposite. Hard-pressed UK consumers are still feeling the cost of their weekly shop, and fruit and vegetables are exactly where we should be making healthy choices easier and cheaper, not dearer. A policy meant to ease food inflation cannot add £300 million to the cost of the fruit and veg aisle and still claim to be on the shopper’s side. “And for what? The UK’s science-based, risk-led regime already achieves 99.5% compliance across those consignments. The science has not changed; the politics have. Adding cost, delay and waste to a system that works brings no measurable gain for biosecurity. multimodal.org.uk/article/fp…