Skip to content
Wednesday, 4 November 2026Malta edition Enquire Malta-24 Briefing @CDNewsDispatch
Malta's world news feed Local perspective with global outlook
CDE.NEWS The Dispatch
Enquire
LATEST
Reddit challenges Australia’s social media ban for children in High Court Mediterranean tourism shifts beyond peak summer as visitors avoid heat and crowds White House says US will stop paying Israel by end of year Cyberattack hits Coop supermarkets in Sicily, disrupting stores in Catania and Palermo What Trump’s defeat means for Europe and global markets
UK

Exports from UK to EU down 68% since Brexit trade deal, say hauliers

cde.news desk · 2 min read
Xinf
epa08988719 Employees of the port of Cherbourg prepare to load trucks on a ferry operated by Irish Ferries to Rosslare Port in Ireland at the port of Cherbourg, Normandy region, France, 04 February 2021 (issued 05 February 2021). Brexit has triggered the direct transport of trucks between Ireland and France, trying to avoid the long bureaucratic procedures involved in entering and leaving British soil. The French city of Cherbourg saw in January 2021 the traffic of trucks leaving or entering on board ferries to Ireland tripled compared to the same month of 2020 (9,000 compared to 3,000), according to General Manager of Cherbourg Harbour Yannick Millet. Typically some 150,000 trucks use the so-called 'land bridge' each year to cross from Ireland to the mainland via the UK, said president of the West Normandy Chamber of Commerce for Industry Dominique Louzeau, and Cherbourg could capture around 20-25 percent of that volume, in addition to its regular traffic, among the carriers seeking to avoid stricter customs and sanitary controls. There are currently 15 weekly heavy vehicle ferry frequencies between Cherbourg and Ireland (the ports of Rosselare and Dublin), up from six in December 2020. EPA-EFE/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET

LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Exports from Britain to the European Union fell by 68% in January as trade was disrupted after the end of a transition period following Britain’s departure from the European Union, according to a trade body representing hauliers.

The government did not confirm the data and said disruption at the border had been minimal since Britain completed its journey out of the EU’s orbit at the of 2020 following an agreement on trading arrangements.

Since the start of the year, businesses and hauliers have had to adapt to new trading arrangements, including new systems for companies and officials in the British province of Northern Ireland.

Some businesses have struggled with new customs declarations and health certificates as the coronavirus pandemic also hits firms.

International members at the Road Haulage Association (RHA) reported a 68% fall in exports in January, the group said on Twitter.

“I find it deeply frustrating and annoying that ministers have chosen not to listen to the industry and experts,” RHA Chief Executive Richard Burnett told The Observer newspaper.

The government said it engages with the sector and does “not recognise the figure provided on exports.”

“Thanks to the hard work of hauliers and traders to prepare for change, disruption at the border has so far been minimal and freight movements are now close to normal levels, despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” it said in a statement. (Reporting by Costas Pitas, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

Filed under BrexitUK
Topics CargoEUShipmentUK

More from UK

More →
UK

UK army chief warns Britain must double its fighting power by 2027

 UK

EU could allow UK to stay outside euro and Schengen if it seeks to rejoin

 UK

Former British Chancellor says Britain’s future lies inside the EU