UK trade regulators struggling to cope due to poor Brexit planning, MPs say
UK regulators are struggling to cope with the post-Brexit trading environment because of “poor preparation and planning”, a House of Commons committee investigation has found.
Almost two years after the UK quit the EU, there are still shortages of vets, toxicologists, lawyers and economists to deal with the UK’s new status as a “third country”, found the public accounts committee report, Regulating After EU Exit.
And it warned that a mooted 40% head count reduction across government, if implemented, would “make current regulatory models unsustainable” without changes to legislation.
“[The] government’s poor preparation and planning have combined with international political realities and the result is exposure of UK consumers and businesses to greater risks and costs,” said Dame Meg Hillier, the MP who chairs the committee.
The committee, which took detailed evidence from food, competition and chemicals agencies, found the regulators were making good strides towards working with international counterparts.
However, it also noted the effect on industry and consumers after the loss of access to EU data systems.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has lost full access to the EU’s rapid alert system on food and feed, which provides information on food safety alerts to member states, it noted.
The lack of membership of the EU’s chemicals regulatory regime, Reach (registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals), will cost an estimated £800m to replicate in a UK-only regime.
“The regulators are taking action to mitigate these issues, but in some instances the alternatives are more time-consuming and are likely to increase costs over time,” the report warned.
The committee’s report found regulators were unable to
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