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The Irish Road Transport Association warns that trade will be “badly affected” by Brexit and that the price of some goods could double.
The president of the Irish Road Transport Association, Eugene Drennan, said there could be a delay in the delivery of some goods and a shortage of products, which would not be acceptable.
He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that any problems with the land bridge across Britain could wreak havoc, causing thousands of trucks to “pile up” on the M20 motorway before Dover.
Mr Drennan, most of the Irish imports and exports to continental Europe still use this land bridge, but this will have to change if there is chaos in the UK.
He asked for a daily, fast and efficient service in the ports of northern France.
British Road Transport Association Northern Ireland policy manager John Martin said the UK road transport association has been lobbying since day one, calling for clarity to be provided in a timely manner so that companies have time to implement their systems procedures.
Martin said the government has not achieved a smooth end to the transition period, despite this extensive lobbying.
He told Morning Ireland that no one knows the details of the Northern Ireland protocol.
Mr. Martin said it is a finely balanced industry, particularly for fresh produce like vegetables.
The industry and companies cannot afford, he said, two days sitting in a car park in Kent.
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The UK Road Transport Association has said requiring hauliers to obtain special permits to enter Kent from neighboring counties will be “futile”.
RHA policy director Duncan Buchanan said the move to avoid the post-Brexit stalemate is simply a “check box exercise.”
British Cabinet Minister Michael Gove told the Commons yesterday that the permits could help avoid queues for up to 7,000 trucks seeking to cross the English Channel after the UK leaves the single market and customs union in order of year.
The Kent Access Permit (KAP) system could be enforced by law enforcement or the use of cameras that monitor the license plates of vehicles entering the county at points like Dartford Crossing that bring cargo from Essex.
But Buchanan said he was involved in a recent test of the system that indicated that KAPs will be issued to all truck drivers who claim their documentation is in order, with no checks being conducted.
He told the Palestinian Authority news agency: “It is an honesty box system. It is not an effective system to guarantee or ensure that someone is ready to cross the border.
“Does not do that. It’s just a system of record for someone to say ‘I’m going to the port and I promise I’m ready.’
“It really doesn’t do much more than that.”
He added: “It’s not asking for reference numbers or anything like that. It’s super basic. Fortunately, the bureaucracy involved is negligible, but the function is also negligible.”
“The whole system is useless and probably counterproductive.”
Buchanan said ministers “should focus” on completing the new Goods Vehicle Movement System, which is being developed by the UK Revenue and Customs Agency to allow goods to be declared before they reach the border.
“That is not going to be ready for January 1, it has already been made public,” he explained. “That is the system that we really need to put in place and work to make sure the border can operate and function properly.”
Gove, the minister responsible for preparing the UK to abandon the economic structures of the European Union, outlined the KAP system and outlined “reasonable worst-case scenarios” that could emerge from January 1.
The lack of preparation for the end of the transition period could result in up to 70% of trucks being returned from France, with thousands of freight vehicles waiting up to 48 hours to reach Dover as a result of the chaos.
Gove said: “We want to make sure that people use a relatively simple process to obtain what will be known as a Kent Access Permit, which means they can then seamlessly pass through Kent because they have the necessary material.”
If they do not have a permit, Gove said that through “police surveillance, ANPR (automatic license plate recognition) cameras and other means”, the UK government would do “everything possible” to ensure that the people of Kent are not disturbed. .
Gove’s announcement came as the EU’s top negotiator, Michel Barnier, was in London for informal trade talks.
Downing Street warned that time was running out for a post-Brexit trade deal that could be in effect by the end of the year.
Additional reporting PA
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