Brexit trading with Great Britain ‘complete nightmare’, says owner

Brexit trading with Great Britain ‘complete nightmare’, says owner

27 January 2021

THE impact of Brexit and the Irish Sea border is impacting on one of the district’s most popular garden centres.

Beth Lunney — who runs the Saintfield Nursery Centre along with her family — has described the impact of the most significant change to trading in decades and one that will affect many businesses.

She said changes became apparent in November, just weeks before the UK formally left the EU.

As part of the garden centre’s preparations for the new sea border it, had signed up to the government’s Trader Support Service, with Beth also liaising with her suppliers in England.

Her longstanding supplier of azaleas and rhododendrons got in touch and revealed that he was not going to be able to get the delivery to Saintfield, explaining that it was because of the possibility that there could be soil in the pots.

The UK supplier had correctly interpreted the new rules which apply on trade in plants between Great Britain and Northern Ireland which is still in the EU’s plant health system and therefore must apply EU rules on products entering from Great Britain.

Plants now need a plant health certificate to enter the country, but some products are completely banned, including soil as it can carry pests and diseases, but there maybe even more problems ahead.

Beth said it was being suggested in some quarters that there may be an issue with pallets and even wooden handled forks and spades coming into Northern Ireland due to Brexit and the Irish Sea border and even delays in getting wooden furniture which she currently has on order.

In the wake of Beth’s UK supplier of azaleas and rhododendrons getting in touch, her rose supplier subsequently got in contact via email to confirm that he would not be able to supply roses which had been on order since the autumn for planned deliveries throughout the season.

“The problem is the peat reduced compost they use along with wood fibre and bark to pot up the roses,” Beth explained, expressing sympathy for her suppliers.

“The growers in GB are in a terrible position. They cannot take a chance and send plants to us as they may be delayed at our new border. A plant, like food, is perishable and a delivery could be taken and destroyed. Who will be willing to take that chance? I guess no one.”

Beth said Northern Ireland has the same climate as the rest of Great Britain and plants that do well there will also do well here, explaining that the local nursery is more selective about taking plants from Europe.

She said the new regulations were not just a challenge for Saintfield Nurseries, but the entire Northern Ireland horticultural industry.

The new reality for some businesses is that it has become easier to get key supplies from the EU, with Beth explaining that she already gets part of her stock from the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland and that this may have to increase.

She said that several nurseries in the Republic of Ireland are emailing the Saintfield business saying they’re going to have roses, but they may not be the particular varieties that they really want.

Beth added: “We were told we would leave the EU as one country, the UK. We have been badly let down by all those that govern us. We should be equal to Scotland, Wales and England all of us members of the United Kingdom, but sadly now this is not the case.

“One of my suppliers in England who contacted me last Friday thought there would be no problem supplying us but now the whole Northern Ireland and Brexit issue is a complete nightmare.”

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is also lobbying the government, urging it to work with the EU to explore ways to ease the new rules.

“The impact of these complex and burdensome changes is far-reaching for GB and NI,” said the organisation’s chairman James Barnes, warning that the UK’s horticulture industry stands to lose out if solutions cannot be found.