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The government has announced a fifth delay to post-Brexit checks on EU imports amid concerns the new system would fuel food inflation.
The first stage of the new border controls, which have already been delayed four times, was due to be rolled out this October but now won’t be implemented until January 2024.
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Downing Street said the timetable was being revised to give businesses more time to prepare for the changes, which include more health and safety checks on food and animal products entering the country.
The Tories have come under fire for the latest delay, with the Lib Dems accusing ministers of performing a “humiliating U-turn” and Labour saying they had allowed the issue to become a “chaotic mess”.
Equivalent checks have been in place for UK food exports to the EU since Britain left the bloc’s single market in January 2021, with British producers long-arguing this puts them at a commercial disadvantage.
Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), said that for the past three years farmers “have faced the full reach of EU controls on our exports while the EU has enjoyed continued easy access to the UK marketplace”.
She said the delay is “hugely frustrating” for food producers.
“This is not just an issue for competitiveness, with British farmers faced with additional costs and paperwork, but also for our nation’s biosecurity,” Ms Batters said.
“Proportionate and effective controls are necessary if we are to prevent outbreaks of pests and diseases that threaten human, animal and plant health, the safety, quality and biosecurity of our food products and the confidence of our trading partners.”
The NFU called on the government to use the latest delay “wisely” and address concerns expressed by many in the supply chain about the cost of the new system.
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