Great Britain legally leaves the European Union

The terms of the Brexit deal were agreed between the UK and EU in The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on 24 December 2020. 

The TCA was formally endorsed by the European Parliament and Council today which finalised the legal formalities of Brexit. 

Many businesses based in the United Kingdom (UK) are still dealing with the realities of the new trading arrangement between the UK and the EU. 

The TCA ensured that there would be no quotas or tariffs on goods traded between GB and the EU, however there is now a large amount of new documentation required even for small shipments. 

Due to the complexity, it is not uncommon for a truck driver to now have to present 50 different pieces of paperwork. This is in contrast to pre-Brexit where most UK shipments to the EU only needed a delivery note. 

The increase in documentation and customs checks at the border has led to a number of delays and has had a major impact on meat and seafood produce being exported to the EU.  Meat exports are running at only 70 to 75% of their previous levels.

The Environment, Food and Agricultural Committee has recently proposed more compensation for firms affected by the disruption to trade.

British food exporters are at a disadvantage to EU competitors as the UK government has delayed implementation of inspections of EU food entering Britain (to avoid food shortages). The EU has implemented full checks on goods exported from GB to the EU since 1 January 2021, in line with the TCA.

If you would like advice regarding the changes to importing and/or exporting to/from the EU, please contact us at Tudor International Freight, on 0333 1234 747 or email sales@tudorfreight.com.

About Us - Tudor International Freight 

Established in Horsforth, Leeds, back in 1991, we are a logistics company who are experts in road, air and sea freight. We transport goods to most major cities, towns and suburbs across all 6 continents. We go over and above to ensure that our client’s products, goods and cargo are transported around the world safely and successfully. We are a family business, who are still based in Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire.