A MAYO freight forwarder and customs clearance agent has warned of difficulties businesses will face due to unpreparedness in the UK when Brexit kicks in next month.
Ed Campion of Ballina-based Campion Freight Services gave a comprehensive ‘Preparing for Brexit’ overview to members of Mayo County Council’s economic and enterprise strategic policy committee this week.
Asked if industry was fearful or confident about how things will unfold in the coming weeks, he said he and his colleagues in industry and revenue in Ireland have been working hard to prepare for what is coming down the line.
He didn’t think they could have done much more to prepare, but it was not the same in the UK.
Their IT system will not be ready, he said, and he did not know how the UK was going to handle imports and exports in January.
Agents such as him had asked Irish businesses to engage with their UK suppliers and customers but they were not getting full engagement back.
“The UK are not as prepared. That is where we feel the problems are going to lie,” he said.
Mr. Campion set out a range of steps that businesses need to take to continue trading with and via the UK.
There are 129 registered freight forwarders and customs agents in Ireland and the recommendation is that businesses engage with an agent.
Source: Connaught Tribune