Page 18 - PET worldwide issue 1/2021

Brexit and the pet sector

The United Kingdom ceased to be part of the EU internal
market and customs union on 1 January 2021. The realisation

of Brexit has also had an impact on the pet sector.

At the Pats show at Sandown in 31 January 2020, but a transi- The consequences
Britain in spring 2019, the topic tion phase ensued, which ex- for trade
came up in all conversations. tended to the end of 2020. “Retailers face significant bureau-
Company representatives mostly The political world, compa- cratic obstacles if they wish or
expressed the view that they nies and the population were in- need to import goods from other
wanted to wait and see how structed to prepare for exit from EU states,” reports Jana Suhr,
things would progress. After all, the EU. It was only very late in sales director for Benelux/France/
nothing had yet been decided that the day, however, that EU repre- UK at Trixie. She assumes that
would provide a steer on how to sentatives and Prime Minister smaller independent retailers will
proceed. One or two were heard Boris Johnson were able to look around increasingly for pro-
to say that their companies would agree on a deal. curement options within the UK,
be considering export warehouses For many companies it came and so the network of wholesalers
in the Netherlands, so as not to too late, and from mid-December could be expanded. “It has be-
get left behind by Europe. 2020 chaos was a familiar sight come very clear that British re-
The debate dominated the at the Channel crossing. The tailers were not adequately pre-
daily news for years, and not just long queues of lorries in Dover pared for the future costs of cus-
Carina Evans, Podium Pet Products:
“The Brexit deal seems to me to in the United Kingdom. The coun- have become symbolic of the toms duty and customs pro-
be well thought through.” try had already left officially on Brexit policy. cessing by the policy,” says Jana

18 PET worldwide 1|2021

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