On the occasion of the UK Parliament’s vote on Wednesday, the British Ports Association (BPA) issued a new warning on the significant challenges for some ports around a ‘no deal’ Brexit and the impact upon trade.
UK ports are resilient and have been involved in extensive planning for this scenario but that has always about mitigating for disruption, not avoiding it. While many UK ports will continue as usual there will undoubtedly be significant challenges for particular ports with trade with Europe,
…said Richard Ballantyne, Chief Executive of the British Ports Association.
MPs voted against the prospect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, rejecting Theresa May’s Brexit deal for a second time. In the same context, BPA CEO highlighted:
We have consistently said that a ‘no deal’ Brexit must be avoided. Many in the wider logistics industry have warned of shortages of skills and the required infrastructure to continue to support free flowing trade with the EU and we remain concerned that leaving without an agreement is wreckless and unnecessary,
…adding that this could lead to a significant slow down in trade and business activity.
In addition, emphasizing on the challenges for UK fishing ports, Mr. Ballantyne added that approximately 80% of fish landed in UK ports is exported and a chaotic exit would not allow UK ports and fishing communities reap the benefits from Brexit.
The Government currently issues 300 catch certificates a year to allow fish to be exported but we understand this will rise to 300,000 in a ‘no deal’ scenario. We are concerned that such a huge change in capability could be introduced with only two weeks notice. The introduction of significant tariffs and non-tariff barriers could impact the catching sector as well as see boats landing elsewhere to avoid these barriers. This undermines the Brexit dividend that could await fishing communities. We need an orderly withdrawal and frictionless trade backed with a requirement to land more UK fish in UK ports.
