Solutions needed to keep GB-NI supply chain resilient

Solutions needed to keep the GB-NI supply chain resilient

By Richard Smith - RHA MD

Last week I met with a range of businesses, industry experts and stakeholders from across our industry and other sectors and we were able to engage in some in-depth discussions on a range of key issues impacting businesses and impacting people in Northern Ireland.

The GB-NI trade and customs arrangements remain far from ideal and are one of the primary reasons why freight volumes are down in recent years. Whilst some firms have been able to navigate the various customs changes well due to the specific nature of their work, for others, some very real challenges remain.

Specifically, many businesses still need clarity on the classification of goods deemed "at risk’ or indeed deemed “not at risk.” There have been various regulatory checks and different interpretations of those introduced to date. There’s an impact explicitly on groupage and non-retail and business to business. With the time sensitivity of some goods, more paperwork and uncertainty creates delays which has direct consequences for businesses and consumers alike.

With further changes coming into play after March 31, many resilient firms who operate in Northern Ireland are understandably seeking answers. While there’s unlikely to be an immediate answer to these issues, we’ve made progress to date in our recent engagement, and I remain confident we can make further progress.

As the RHA has done over many years, we’ll continue to be a voice for our key sector, engaging with officials and decision-makers.

This week I’ve written directly to the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Hilary Benn and Carol Bristow, Director General of Borders and Trade at HMRC.

We’ve highlighted the issues, provided further feedback from businesses, and we’ve been clear that the complexities of the Windsor Framework and negative implications of divergence are continuing to create significant financial and administrative burdens for many companies.

We want to find solutions and we believe there’s a need to look at the long-term impact of current rules and regulations. Without a co-ordinated focus and action by both the UK Government and the EU, the combination of evolving customs regulations and further divergence will have further knock-on implications for businesses operating in Northern Ireland.

Our work continues and I look forward to continuing these vitally important conversations over the weeks and months ahead with members, industry experts, government officials, and stakeholders.

At all times we’re concerned with ensuring that the supply chain is resilient and fluid. We need to see a level playing field for operators.