Flower growers have warned of a shortage of bouquets on Valentine’s and Mother’s Days due to new post-Brexit border checks due to come into force at the end of the month.
Chrysanthemums, carnations and orchids are classed as ‘medium risk’ imports under a new regime introduced after the UK left the EU.
From January 31, importers will have to produce health certificates proving they are disease free on arrival. And from the end of April all shipments will have to be manually checked at ports, whereas they are currently checked at their destination garden centres, where they can be maintained.
In a letter to the UK Government the Dutch flower wholesalers association VGB asked that the checks be delayed until 2025.
Chrysanthemums (pictured), carnations and orchids are classed as ‘medium risk’ imports under a new regime introduced after the UK left the EU.
From January 31, importers will have to produce health certificates proving they are disease free on arrival. And from the end of April all shipments will have to be manually checked at ports like Dover (pictured).
In it VGB director, Matthijs Mesken warned that although only five types of flowers are affected, they are present in 85 per cent of shipments due to mixed bouquets of cut flowers.
‘This timing coincides with the absolute peak of the seasons, which poses challenges for our industry,’ he wrote.
The Netherlands is a key hub not just for its own domestic flower industry, but also for flowers grown around the world and destined for other countries like Britain.
Last year, the impact of the war in Ukraine pushed up the wholesale price of red roses and other flowers by 10-15 per cent, with florists passing this on.
The rules have already been postponed five times since January 1, 2021 and ministers have ruled out another extension.
But James Barnes, chairman of the Horticultural Trades Association, told the Financial Times: ‘We think that the new border is a disaster waiting to happen.
‘The fundamental issue is that the infrastructure isn’t in place to cope with the volume of trade that’s coming through.’