30/01/2024 French farmers' protests; Import checks on fresh fruit and veg

Thousands of French farmers have been protesting, blocking major routes across the country, and causing chaos on the roads around Paris. The tractor blockades follow similar action in Germany and Holland. The French protesters are calling for better returns after facing rising production costs, and for a change to environmental regulations which farmers say are putting them out of business.

All this week we're looking at trade. New post-Brexit import checks are coming in on 30th April - that means goods classed as "medium risk" under the Border Target Operating Model, will require new more stringent checks. The government's confirmed those rules won't come in for fruit and veg before October this year, but growers are worried the additional checks will add further friction to trade, and increased costs. We visit a grower and importer of salads in the Lea Valley and speak to the Fresh Produce Consortium who estimate that the changes could add £200 million to the cost of imports for their members.

Presenter = Anna Hill
Producer = Rebecca Rooney