Post-Brexit trade: Half of UK exporters to EU are having Brexit difficulties

More than a month after the UK's post-Brexit trade deal with the EU came into force, complaints from British importers and exporters continue to mount.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said that 49% of UK-based exporters in a survey of 470 firms had suffered problems with post-Brexit arrangements since the start of the year, as companies struggled to adapt and faced higher costs due to extra border checks and paperwork.

Little more than a month into the UK’s new relationship with Brussels, the leading business lobby group warned that urgent action from both the British government and the EU was necessary to solve severe issues with cross-border trade.

It said UK companies were facing extra costs, delays in shipments to and from the continent, mountains of new paperwork and were often confused about whether particular rules applied to them or not.

Rules of origin for products that are imported into the UK, then exported to the EU are causing difficulty for some firms.

Others are caught up in the complexity of VAT issues, while the time and trouble taken to get merchandise through customs remains a hassle.

Small wonder, then, that according to a survey by the Road Haulage Association, Brexit-related problems caused the volume of exports passing through British ports to the EU to fall very sharply last month compared with a year ago.

A government spokesperson admitted that some businesses are "facing challenges with specific aspects of our new trading relationship" and promised to provide them with the necessary support "to trade effectively with Europe".

"That's why we are operating export helplines, running webinars with experts and offering businesses support via our network of 300 international trade advisers," the spokesperson said.