Fears as new biosecurity checks start in Kent today
Inspections will be taking place at facilities in Dover and Ashford.
New biosecurity checks, on imported food and hazardous goods coming into the UK, will be introduced in Kent today.
There are two sites across the county, in Ashford and Dover. However, last week, the Financial Times reported that the new border systems will not be fully ready.
Despite this, Defra has insisted that checks will commence from today. This has produced fears of traffic ques and delays, with the Sevington, near Ashford, being just off junction 10A on the M20.
To battle this, medium and high-risk goods posing the greatest biosecurity risk are being prioritised as the facilities build up to full check rates and high levels of compliance.
It's an update to the already long list of fears that people across the county have about the checks.
One of those is the possible increase to the price of food, with companies having to pay fees of up to £145 from 30 April on small imported products such as fish, salami, sausage, cheese and yoghurt will be subject to fees of up to £145 from 30 April.
Johnathan Cook is from The Cheese Shop in Tunbridge wells and he believes the customer will be directly impacted.
He said: "For the importers of Cheese, the increase could be quite dramatic as it will hit them right on the bottom line and I think it will start to trickle down.
"They'll want to pass those prices down to smaller shops like myself and that starts to put pressure on me and whether I want to take a hit on my bottom line or pass it down to my customers.
"We've just seen prices on dairy stabilise over the last few years, and to now be facing the possibility over another increase is really worrying.
"Another concern is that it may force some exporters out of the market because they may think it's too much hassle to get their product into the UK as they won't be making enough money.
"And, it a shame because it's an industry that thrives on individuality and what I want to see is those small and unique cheeses coming through to give consumers choice so I think the real pressures will be on pricing and choice."