"We are following Brexit with a lot of interest, but part of it is waiting to see what deals are made and what we can do to prepare for them," says Marc Evrard of the Belgische Fruit Veiling. "We noticed that in the run up to a possible Brexit the market was disturbed a bit by the impact of the exchange rate adjustments and decrease in value of the pound. This makes our product relatively and absolutely more expensive for the British consumer. Now we will have to wait and see what will actually happen and what deal will be made."
Impact
The United Kingdom is an important sales market for the Belgische Fruit Veiling. "It's a challenge to us, but it's not just us who are dealing with this, it's the entire sector. Yet it is the import companies in the United Kingdom who are harmed the most. It's impossible to tell how it will go for them. The situation could go in any direction. Will there be import taxes? What phytosanitary impact will Brexit have on the trade agreement with the United Kingdom? Nothing is certain. In terms of customs anyway. We're hoping for a streamlined transition that disrupts the trade as little as possible," says Marc.
Scenarios
The worst scenario is if it makes trade difficult. "We could sum up all of the possible challenges, but for now we're waiting on more security. We as Belgische Fruit Beiling are used to working with countries and buyers outside of the European Union. We work in faraway destinations and the trade is going well, but there is a lot of work that comes with it so we have to look to see how we will play into this. We may have to hire extra staff to keep the processes running as efficiently as possible. We take these situations into account, but we can't play into what isn't there," concludes Evrard.
For more information:
Marc Evrard
Belgische Fruit Veiling
Montenakenweg 82
3800 St. Truiden
Belgium
+32 11 69 34 11
marc.evrard@bfv.be
www.bfv.be