CEO Mike Parr featured with FPC and Tom Brown Wholesale to take a hard look at mounting concerns over the UK’s border controls following Brexit.
We were delighted to welcome BBC Countryfile presenter and journalist Joe Crowley to our UK Inland Border Hub in Kent to discuss the £200 million impact that BTOM could have on farmers and our food for the TV programme’s 2 February 2025 episode.
After less than a year since the UK’s additional border checks came into force following the UK’s exit from the EU, the system has been billed as “not fit for purpose”.
On many occasions PML Seafrigo CEO Mike Parr has voiced his opinion and concerns to the media and government, particularly the UK’s ability to remain an attractive market for EU suppliers.
To help shed light on the situation, Mike and Joe were joined at PML Seafrigo’s Kent hub by Nigel Jenney, CEO of Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), and John Davidson, Finance Director at Tom Brown Wholesale Florist.
Together they discussed one of the largest concerns – the significant financial impact on businesses of CUC fees, added to the cost of delays and damage to goods – and the resulting impact on fresh produce availability and prices in the UK.
Countryfile also visited the Port of Harwich and the Port of Dover to investigate the journey and inspection of goods entering the UK via the government’s inland inspection facility at Sevington.
Watch the episode – titled Welney Wetland Centre, 2 February 2025 – on BBC iPlayer here.
Fast-forward 20 minutes into the episode for the segment about UK border controls.
