Mike Parr:

This week’s [6 May] parliamentary session with Baroness Hayman, regarding the industry’s questions in relation to the proposed introduction of plant health border checks for fresh produce and plants was incredibly disappointing. It represented yet another painful example of the government’s failure to understand the critical issues that we face – and seemed to turn a blind eye to the imperative for urgent responses to questions that have been raised.

Throughout the meeting it was evident that despite the upcoming 1 July deadline for the commencement of the required checks, those involved in the logistics concerning the transfer of imported fresh produce have not been provided with any further reassurances or clarity ref key concerns that have been raised on numerous occasions, over the last five months.

Amongst the most important topics which we’d hoped would be discussed were the lack of preparedness at Sevington to deal with the checks; the effective creation of a monopoly at the government border control point which operates on a 24-hour working day, whilst only offering checks at remote HMRC / Defra approved border control posts between 9-5 (which is inconsistent with the needs associated with the time sensitive transfer of food and plant produce); the failure to provide a definitive list of fruits and vegetables deemed to be within the Medium Risk A&B categories which will be subject to the checks; the fact that Common User Charge fees for 2025/26 remain unconfirmed and the ongoing “evaluation” of the Approved Operator Status scheme which companies such as PML Seafrigo invested in as far back as 2023.

Despite the industry, under the leadership of FPC’s Chief Executive Nigel Jenney, regularly advising the government regarding the best way forward and providing viable solutions, here we are less than eight weeks away, still in precisely the same position we were in at the end of December, when the original 1^st January deadline was extended. The repeated mentions that the industry is not ready implies that we are not taking on board the recommendations. Far from it, as a sector we’ve been incredibly agile in our feedback on the proposed checks, repeatedly putting forward well thought out options to ensure a smooth and seamless transition. 

It is the government that is not ready. It is the government that will not listen to the people working at the coalface. It will be the government that is the direct cause of the likely catastrophic hike in food prices based on the lack of availability of essential fresh produce goods.

We need customers to join us in making our voice heard. We need the public to rally against the government’s inertia and constant stalling tactics, especially with regard to the rollout of the Approved Operator Status scheme.

Allow the industry to help fix the problems. Time is running out. We need action NOW.

– Mike Parr, PML Seafrigo CEO

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Below is Mike’s full interview with Fred Searle, editor of the Fresh Produce Journal (FPJ).

How big an impact do you expect Defra’s proposed changes to plant health fees to have on fresh produce importers in the UK?

Mike Parr (MP): I think it will put a lot of them out of business because it is not viable for them to pay these additional charges. Ultimately, it may simply not be possible to import goods anymore.

How have the Safety & Security (S&S) declarations affected hauliers since coming into force at the end of January?

MP: This is, yet again, just another cost and another delay that seems to have become a regular occurrence for anyone working in the sector. The UK has become a country associated with red tape, and hauliers from abroad don’t want to operate here. We have become the country that nobody really wants to supply anymore. I’m hearing it more and more: “Why do we bother with the UK? There’s too much cost.”

What is the latest situation with delays to importing seeds and young plants from the EU?

MP: A recent episode of Countryfile on the BBC focused on this issue in a report on additional border controls post-Brexit. Rob James, technical director at Thanet Earth, drew attention to the sector’s reliance on imported plants and seeds and the concerns regarding breaks in the biosecurity chain at a border control point. This can cause a virus to transfer to a crop with devasting effects.

The protracted delays at the ports on goods such as seeds – which cost more than gold by weight – and the impact of late planting can be disastrous. They can mean that growers fail to meet their contracts to supply retailers.

We are also aware of the damage that can be inflicted on goods when they are unloaded at Sevington and not handled with the care required for these delicate consignments. When food or plants are damaged and reloaded onto a truck, who is held accountable?

The Netherlands is one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of seeds and young plants, but a representative from the Dutch Transport Association (TLN) has commented that the waiting time at the UK border is around four hours and can easily go up to 10-20 hours. The representative of TLN advised that every inspection its members had attended in the second half of last year was delayed. Many transporters have simply stopped driving to the UK.

What preparations are being made by logistics firms and fresh produce suppliers for the introduction of physical checks and fees on medium-risk fruit and vegetables imports from the EU, due to come in on 1 July?

MP: It is impossible to prepare when there are so many government U-turns. The pattern to date is that we spend a load of money preparing, only for the government to change their mind without consultation.

How have you seen fruit and vegetable importers and exporters adapt their trade routes to navigate the delays and added complications in logistics caused by Brexit?

MP: A lot of importers and exporters are travelling via the Hook of Holland to avoid the nightmare at Calais. Many flowers are coming over by boat, steering clear of Dover and travelling from Rotterdam to Immingham.

It is also worth mentioning that there is a growing illegal trade where meat that should be checked at Sevington never arrives at the government’s border control destination 22 miles from Dover. Instead, lorries make illegal drop-offs after leaving Dover. Some of this meat could be illegal or banned goods. The Port of Dover reported that it seized 10 tonnes of illegal meat via spot checks in the first week of 2025, compared with 400kg in the first week of 2023. Similar illegal activity is likely to occur with other fresh produce.

What are your most pressing demands of the Labour government when it comes to supporting the UK’s fresh produce logistics sector?

MP: Listen to us! This government is no different to the previous Conservative government and, if anything, worse. They should listen to key individuals, such as the FPC’s Nigel Jenney, who really know what they are talking about and are making a difference.

Generally speaking, how are fresh produce suppliers and hauliers adapting to all of the upheaval that Brexit and other global shocks have caused to trade?

MP: A lot are just finding different places to trade and identifying different markets, for example East European apples are being sent to India. Many hauliers and fresh produce suppliers have had to close down.

What are the other big challenges for fresh produce logistics firms at the moment?

MP: To name a few: finding staff; the cost of equipment has risen by 30 per cent; rent on premises has increased; rates have increased; and the Mayor of London is intent on expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Has the logistics industry made any recent progress in encouraging more young people to enter the sector?

MP: One of our biggest problems is trying to recruit. No one wants to enter the industry when all you get is added costs and abuse from customers, even though it is not your fault. Roles within technology are more appealing, but it is hard to get UK customs to accept new technology – unlike in the Netherlands.

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Mike Parr:

Last Thursday [6 March 2025] I attended a meeting set up by the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) for industry members to discuss with Defra their thoughts on the proposed changes to plant health fees. Specifically, the meeting was designed to enable members to put forward their concerns regarding the impact these changes are likely to have on their business.

Defra’s argument for the increase in fees is that it has been five years since the fees were last refreshed (2019) and this would enable full cost recovery (I.E. the fee increase would cover all the costs associated with the rollout of the scheme including a portion of overhead costs).

The suggested increase is 27 per cent, which represents a significant hike in costs at a time when the industry is already reeling from so many other post-Brexit changes – not least the Common User Charge and monies spent to adapt systems and train staff to manage the required new protocols.

Whilst delegates requested evidence of Defra’s efficiencies to make this increase more palatable, the government line at this point was that limited data is currently available, but information would be released in the near-future.

That would be fine were it not for the fact that the consultation period ends in two weeks’ time, so how is it possible to make an informed response if the data is not forthcoming ahead of the consultation deadline?

This means effectively we are commenting on a matter blind, without the critical facts to hand. Is this really the government’s idea of “working with industry stakeholders”?

In the context of this discussion, a primary point for debate was also an update on the physical and ID inspection fees for European and Rest of World imported goods and how these would be handled.

In a room that was largely filled with importers, it was gratifying to see a unanimous vote in favour of the Approved Operator Scheme (AOS) as the most viable solution to the new required border control checks, which allows eligible trained traders to carry out their own physical and identify checks. Given the fact the PML Seafrigo invested in this training as far back as 2023, this would be welcome news.

The pilot for this initiative was due to run from June to December 2024, with post pilot evaluation scheduled between December 2024 and February 2025. Yet, during this time, PML Seafrigo has been unable to provide the service associated with Approved Operator status.

Early adopters of the scheme such as PML Seafrigo will have waited for over two years post training for the scheme to be rolled out which seems an excessively long period, given the evaluation of the pilot is only allocated three months?

Whilst the room voted a resounding yes to the AOS, the final decision will of course be with the ministerial team. Let’s just hope that this time around they do actually listen to those working at the coalface and that this is not yet another example of the government simply paying lip service.

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