British importers of salad seeds, including those for tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, have voiced significant concerns about the effects of the post-Brexit border regime on their operations and the potential impact on the 2025 harvest.
Currently, many UK growers, particularly those cultivating tomatoes and peppers, are in the process of sourcing seeds and young plants for next year’s season. However, industry representatives have warned that the government's new Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), which introduced stricter border controls on EU plant and animal imports earlier this year, is creating a “critical challenge” for the importation of seeds and plants.
The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), the British Tomato Growers’ Association (BTGA) and the Cucumber & Pepper Growers’ Association (CPGA) have expressed “extreme concern” over delays at the border, inadequate biosecurity and plant health measures at Border Control Posts (BCPs), and issues with seed testing protocols.
According to these trade bodies, the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on seed imports have resulted in “significant delays to seed and plants reaching their destinations” since their implementation in April, leading to “major supply chain disruption” within the UK’s protected edibles sector.
Protected salad crops, grown in glasshouses or permanent polytunnels, encompass a wide range of produce, including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, herbs, celery, and aubergines. Industry representatives emphasised that this is a “crucial time of year” for growers to secure their crops for the next season to ensure British produce is readily available on supermarket shelves in 2025.
The BTGA and CPGA also highlighted that “inadequate” checks at BCPs are “jeopardising the health and quality of seeds and plants reaching growers” and creating additional risks for businesses. “The checks being carried out at the border are not proportionate to the level of embedded biosecurity already in the protected edible supply chain,” the groups stated in an open letter. They further raised concerns about inadequate biosecurity measures, risks of cross-contamination, poor handling, and uncontrolled storage conditions at BCPs.
The letter noted that the protected edibles supply chain already operates under a robust biosecurity system from seed producers to grower nurseries. “This system is being inherently put at risk by these additional processes, and we have not been reassured that our concerns are being taken seriously,” the groups said.
One of the key issues highlighted was the delay in plant pathogen testing, with some batches taking over six weeks to clear UK controls. Growers claim these delays disrupt crop planning and programming, causing economic strain and jeopardising the viability of businesses. They also warned that EU suppliers may become less willing to export to the UK due to the current challenges.
The BTGA and CPGA stated they are collaborating with Defra, the Animal & Plant Health Agency, and the NFU to address these issues but argued that progress has been insufficient. “Seed of European origin is already tested and certified as disease-free before dispatch to Great Britain, making additional testing in the UK an unnecessary, costly, and time-consuming duplication,” they wrote.
The groups called for a reciprocal phytosanitary agreement with the EU to alleviate delays, echoing commitments from Labour leader Keir Starmer to secure such a deal. Starmer has pledged to establish an SPS agreement with the EU to reduce border friction and streamline trade by recognising each other’s biosecurity standards. However, the timeline for negotiations and the implementation of such an agreement remains uncertain.
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