GB-NI trade: Engagement continues on behalf of industry

As the 31 March deadline approaches, we continue to engage with government officials and businesses across different sectors to discuss the way ahead and find solutions for those impacted by evolving customs processes.

The GB-NI trade and customs arrangements remain far from ideal and are one of the primary reasons why freight volumes remain down in recent times.
One of the key issues facing businesses remains the uncertainty around the classification of goods deemed “at risk”. Quite simply, with the time sensitivity of some goods, more paperwork and uncertainty results in unsustainable delays that affect both businesses and consumers.

While there’s unlikely to be an answer given now to some of the issues, recent discussions have made progress. This week, we held further meetings with HMRC officials, and we again provided industry feedback, highlighting the reality of life for operators. In our conversations, we’ve stressed the potential disruption post 31 March and raised key questions on behalf of our members and industry.  Some of these questions remain unanswered, and whilst we welcome this ongoing dialogue, it’s important that officials locally and nationally understand not just the processes, but the impact these processes and regulations have on businesses of all sizes operating in Northern Ireland. As we’ve done from the beginning, the RHA will continue to make these points.

As I said after meeting with industry leaders in Northern Ireland recently, without a co-ordinated action plan from both the UK Government and the EU, these evolving trade and customs regulations will create further challenges long-term for businesses.

In all of this, we must ensure there’s a resilient, fluid supply chain and a level playing field for operators. These vital conversations will continue in the weeks ahead, and I look forward to further engagement with Northern Ireland business leaders next week.