The UK government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has let down the country’s seafood exporters with its decision to end the current testing programme for digital Export Health Certificates (eEHCs), Scottish government has warned.
In a letter to UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Thérèse Coffey, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon voiced her frustration at the move, citing the implications it will have for Scottish exporters. She also said it was “disappointing” that Coffey had “made no attempt” to discuss it beforehand nor inform her of the decision personally. This was despite exchanged correspondence between the two on the Digital Borders programme on 7 December 2022 and 13 January 2023.
Gougeon wrote: “Clearly, this is complex work and any system introduced must work for traders – you may recall that Scottish ministers repeatedly warned of the complexities involved in Brexit and in becoming a third-country for trading purposes. Stopping the current eEHC testing programme does not help simplify the ongoing bureaucratic arrangements that are now in place because of Brexit for some of our most important food exporters here in Scotland.”
According to the Scottish minister, the country’s aquaculture and fishing sectors have been “the hardest hit” by Brexit and continue to face additional administrative and logistical burdens and costs, which are “jeopardising competitiveness and supply chains”.
“You will be aware of industries’ ongoing frustrations about this, as well as with other programmes which form part of the UK government’s 2025 Digital Borders Strategy. In your letter of 13 January, you stated that you hoped a comprehensive timeline for the project would be shareable soon. We are now seven months on; no timeline has been offered, and businesses now have further uncertainty in which to operate and to make investment decisions. This is unacceptable,” said Gougeon.
“The Scottish government repeatedly warned the UK government that our forced exit from the EU would be damaging to Scottish export businesses. Sadly, three years on, this remains the case and industry continues to face damage inflicted on it by UK government decisions. This delay also further accentuates the uneven playing field between imports and exports.”
In the letter, Gougeon encouraged Coffey to press ministers and officials to dedicate sufficient resource to the digitisation work to ensure it progresses at pace. She also reiterated her request to provide “a realistic and accurate timeline” that can be shared with businesses to enable them to plan and prepare for the future.
“As I said in my previous letter, outwith rejoining the EU and the single market and businesses having barrier and cost-free access to the EU market, digitisation has the opportunity to make the single biggest positive impact on industries’ ability to export. We therefore must see some progress with moving towards a fully operational and functioning eTrade system to give businesses in Scotland, across the UK, and in all sectors, the best chance to succeed in the challenging times we operate in. I look forward to receiving your response.”
Gougeon copied the letter to Kemi Badenoch (Secretary of State for the Department of Business and Trade), Alister Jack (Secretary of State for Scotland),John Lamont (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland), Lesley Griffiths (Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Welsh Government) and Jayne Brady (Head of the Civil Service, Northern Ireland).
