Sheffield exporters urged to hire an expert to tackle Brexit red tape

The Cabinet Office said they had spent £80m expanding the capacity of ‘the customs agents market’ to help with red tape.

But it did not state any advantages of Brexit in response to a direct question from The Star.

The comments come after traders were left ‘pulling their hair out’ in frustration over the changes, according to customs broker Steve White, of Metoni Logistics in Dinnington.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “Now the UK has left the EU customs union and Single Market, there are new rules and processes businesses will need to follow.

“We have encouraged companies new to dealing with customs declarations to appoint a specialist to deal with import and export declarations on their behalf – and we made more than £80 million available to expand the capacity of the customs agents market. Most businesses use a specialist such as a customs broker, freight forwarder or fast parcel operator to deal with this.

“The Government will continue to work closely with businesses to ensure they are not only able to adapt to the new rules for trade with the EU, but grow their trade with the world’s fastest growing markets.”

Mr White described how one Sheffield wood flooring exporter was held in France for three days over a phyto-sanitary certificate, a delay which cost £900.

A campervan conversion company which does the fit-out work in Poland spent hours filling in forms for every one of the 100 pieces of equipment used on a job – and again on the return after they were attached to the vehicle.

Meanwhile, Brexit stockpiling before Christmas has led to a lack of empty containers in China and import costs soaring ten fold from £1,600 to £16,000.

The UK-EU Brexit deal, which introduced all the changes, has caused chaos at UK ports and protests over delays and extra costs. Carriers including UK-based DPD and DB Schenker in Germany have halted cross border deliveries due to the problems.

Mr White said it was only a ‘free trade deal’ for products originating in the UK or EU. Imports from China to the UK and then sent to the EU attract duty, he added.