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Brexit: New post-Brexit border checks scrapped to avoid 'serious disruption'

Defra says IT systems not ready for new checks on animal products

Small businesses face 'punitive' charges from new Brexit border fees

New post-Brexit border checks on animal products have been scrapped to avoid the risk of "serious disruption", Defra has said.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said IT systems were not ready for the new checks, which were due to come into force on 1 October.

The checks were intended to ensure that animal products entering the UK from the EU met UK standards.

But Defra said that the IT systems needed to process the checks were not yet ready, and that there was a risk of "significant disruption" if the checks were introduced as planned.

The government has said that it will continue to work on the IT systems, and that the new checks will be introduced as soon as possible.

In the meantime, businesses will continue to be able to import animal products from the EU without having to complete the new checks.

The decision to scrap the new checks has been welcomed by businesses, which had warned that the checks would have caused delays and increased costs.

The Food and Drink Federation said that the decision was "a common sense move".

"The government has acted to avoid unnecessary disruption to food and drink supply chains," a spokesperson for the federation said.

However, some MPs have criticised the decision to scrap the checks.

The Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash said that the decision was "a disgrace".

"This is a complete capitulation to the EU," he said.

"The government is putting the Interessen of the EU ahead of the interests of the UK."