Port operators were critical, saying the εκατο 100m they had spent preparing for the July 1 inspections “now looks like a waste of time, effort and money” and would seek compensation from the government. Meanwhile, the British Veterinary Association and farmers’ leaders have argued that dangerous animal and plant diseases could enter the country through virtually open borders. Controls are now delayed at least until the end of 2023. However, Rees-Mogg’s allies said they hoped physical border controls – with a ban on some on-site animal inspections – would never be needed and that a new digital commerce system would be put into operation in 2024. Rees-Mogg, in an interview with the Financial Times, said he was “on the consumer side”, arguing that the new border controls would put pressure on household accounts. Grocery costs rose 5.9 percent in one year, according to data released this week. The policy means that while EU companies can sell in the UK market without the burdensome health and safety controls – particularly on agri-food products – British exporters face a full range of post-Brexit controls for goods traveling in the other direction. Rees-Mogg insisted that “one-way free trade is extremely beneficial”, adding that the move would protect consumers from additional costs and help smooth supply chains for UK companies using EU imports. He said he would prefer two-way free trade, but added: “Just because a country has protectionism does not mean you have to be a protectionist. “The EU has always been a missile.” The minister, speaking during a visit to the Eurotunnel at Folkestone, ridiculed many of the checks scheduled for July 1st. He said they would have increased the price of fish by 1 percent. “Why add to the cost of basic human lives?” he said. “What is the danger of a fish finger?” Ministers secretly cited previous announcements of delays in EU import controls in low-key press releases, but Rees-Mogg now proudly claims that opening Britain’s borders is a major benefit of Brexit. In practice, this means that post-Brexit Britain relies in part on the EU to maintain high standards for goods and animals entering the UK. Rees-Mogg said the EU was “a highly regulated market”. It eventually wants to reduce border controls and tariffs on most of Britain’s trade, including from outside the EU, although International Trade Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan has argued that these were privileges to be negotiated in trade agreements. . James Russell, senior vice-president of the British Veterinary Association, said the government’s move “excludes” the ministers’ commitment to maintaining high levels of animal and human health at a time when diseases such as African swine fever had already worsened. catastrophic effects in parts of Europe. Minette Batters, president of the National Agricultural Union, said the decision was “amazing” and “unacceptable”. “These controls are absolutely crucial to the country’s biosafety, animal health and food safety, and without them we are really in danger,” he said. Tim Morris, chief executive of the UK Major Ports Group, said port officials feared the facilities they were building would be “highly custom-made white elephants”. “The government needs to work with ports urgently to agree on how to recover significant investments made in good faith,” he said. “Of course we will work closely with the government on its new vision for a thinner and smaller border control regime.” Without delay, from 1 July the so-called health and phytosanitary controls would require imports of EU animals and agri-food products to be monitored by veterinarians and other health officials upon arrival in the United Kingdom. Instead, these controls will continue to be carried out “at the destination”, away from the border. EU imports will also not be required to have the accompanying “safety and security statements” or health certificates required for UK products arriving in the EU. The tests were delayed for the first time in June 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic began to bite and was followed by further extensions in March 2021 and September 2021. The trading groups generally welcomed the move, but also expressed their frustration with the continued movement of the goalposts, which according to one world expert cost time and money. Dominic Goudie, head of international trade at the Food and Beverage Federation, representing leading manufacturers in the industry, welcomed the clarity given by the decision to the industry and urged the government to use the time to streamline border procedures.

A spokesman for the European Commission said: “This is a UK decision on its borders and we have no comment to make.” Rees-Mogg has become a top cheerleader in Boris Johnson’s cabinet for deregulation. this week called on Britain to unilaterally drop tariffs on food imports. Trevelyan said she was against the idea. He also wants to lift trade restrictions between Britain and Northern Ireland, violating Britain’s Brexit agreement, saying it was “unlikely” the EU would respond with a trade war. The minister, who recently broke news of his campaign to bring civil servants back to their Whitehall offices, showed reporters a photo of a Cabinet office – based in the Treasury building – with “absolutely no one there”. . Additional report by Andy Bounds in Brussels