The United Kingdom is an important market for several of the companies that are operating under the banner of Dutch Flower Group (DFG). After brexit inspections of pot plants will probably take place.This will be cost increasing and delaying, says Harry Brockhoff. He is the CFO of DFG.
“At the moment it sounds like pot plants must be inspected from 1 April 2021”, says Brockhoff. He added that the United Kingdom might introduce phytosanitary inspections for ‘some’ flowers as well. What the British mean when they say ‘some’ flowers, isn’t clear yet.
Brockhoff describes the inspections as cost increasing and delaying. “If inspections only take place in the Netherlands, it would still be a nuisance, but at least the plants could then go straight through to our customers in the United Kingdom without any further delays. If inspections also need to take place on British soil, that will mean more processes and higher costs.”
‘Undoable’
The CFO also wonders how the British want to physically inspect plants from the 1st of July 2021. “For lorries transporting very large parties for retailers, it isn’t such a problem. But when there are 30 different consignments in one lorry – mixed trolleys for garden centres for example – it’s undoable.(..)”
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