Businesses face uncertainty as new controls on EU food

The new controls on EU foodstuffs were due to be introduced in July but have been postponed by the government.

Ms Fairbanks said businesses work on certainty. They have to be able to plan. They have to be able to understand what is coming. If the checks need to come in, they will gear up to invest to meet the needs for the checks.

If the government turn around and say ''we're not going to introduce them, it's a problem for business. The uncertainty has cost councils money, including East Suffolk District Council, which covers the Port of Felixstowe, as they have to prepare for the checks by employing more people to manage post-Brexit border checks on EU food imports.

There is no decision yet, and we are keeping staff informed as best we can. We have always had a commitment to border checks, and at the moment our exports are being checked but our imports aren't. That is not good enough, he said.

British Veterinary Association BVA was concerned about an outbreak of African swine fever ASF in pigs on the continent and he said not having full checks on livestock was dangerous.

There is a real concern that disease could encroach within the country and we want to do everything we can to minimise the risk. It's going to get passed on to us and then on to the consumer.