Brexit border system outage puts perishable goods transport in peril
- Reference: 1715776208
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/05/15/brexit_border_system_outage_put/
- Source link:
At the UK's busiest crossing to continental Europe, dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post serving Dover and the Channel tunnel for up to 20 hours after the IT system went offline on Saturday.
According to [1]a report from The Guardian , trucks transporting meat and cheese saw the shelf-life of their goods slashed such that retailers began to reject some orders.
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The UK began imposing physical checks at the border with the EU for some goods after Brexit came into effect, and new border controls were introduced in April.
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The glitches have affected the agriculture department's Automatic Licence Verification System (ALVS).
In a statement, the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs said: "A power outage over the weekend affected one of the systems required to process imports. For the majority of vehicles at the border there were no significant delays, but we immediately activated contingency arrangements for affected vehicles, working alongside His Majesty's Customs & Revenue and Border Force.
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"We are working at pace to resolve the issue and expect that systems will be returning to normal functioning soon. Since the introduction of checks, our teams have been working closely with traders to ensure checks are completed efficiently and swiftly," the spokesperson told us.
The ALVS is designed to link the tax collector's system called the Customs Declaration Service — which recently replaced the ageing [6]Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system — to Defra's Import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS). Hooking up the two allows port health authorities and Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) to communicate the results of biosecurity and food safety checks to HMRC.
The Guardian quoted several haulage companies and drivers held up by the outage. One company importing Italian goods said that 18 of the 23 lorries that came through Dover transferred to Sevington, near Ashford, to wait up to 20 hours before being released.
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IT troubles have dogged post-Brexit border arrangements before.
[8]The UK Digital Information Bill: Brexit dividend or data disaster?
[9]Post-Brexit tariffs on EU-UK electric vehicle imports staved off till 2027
[10]Deloitte wins deal worth up to £100M for UK border platform
[11]
Fujitsu's 30-year-old UK customs system just keeps hanging on
In April 2022, HMRC's goods vehicle movement service (GVMS), meant to help manage customs tariffs after the UK left the European Union, [12]was knocked offline for several days , causing a 23 mile (37 km) stretch of the multilane M20 highway to remain closed to accommodate queuing freight.
GVMS was released in stages in December 2020 and June 2021. In November 2020, the system for the post-Brexit management of goods crossing the EU border was still in development, and the department planned for the first release to be a "minimum viable product," according to a report from spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO). ®
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[1] https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/may/15/brexit-border-it-outages-delay-import-of-perishable-items-to-uk-by-up-to-20-hours
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZkTcIbZ@8a0EFENClF9CGwAAAFU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZkTcIbZ@8a0EFENClF9CGwAAAFU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZkTcIbZ@8a0EFENClF9CGwAAAFU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZkTcIbZ@8a0EFENClF9CGwAAAFU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/25/hmrc_chief_system_retirement/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZkTcIbZ@8a0EFENClF9CGwAAAFU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/25/uk_digital_information_bill_feature/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/07/brexit_car_tariffs/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/04/deloitte_uk_border_contract/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/25/hmrc_chief_system_retirement/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/08/after_minimum_viable_product_rollout/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: "dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
@Dan 55
"why not go back to letting lorries through until the problem is fixed instead of holding them all for a day and screwing up lorryloads of food?"
Well said. This is self imposed
Re: "dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
> Well said. This is self imposed
As is Brexit generally: modern Britain's most completely avoidable political fuckup.
Re: "dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
I'm glad you've come to see Brexit for what it is.
Re: "dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
Cos the people running this farce could give a Vogon a run for its money.
Re: "dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
Because it's a legal requirement, and the government are selective in what rules they want to break.
Re: "dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
They break international rules in "a limited and specific way" only
Re: "dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
Because the UK government is already in breach of WTO rules for giving goods arriving from the EU disproportionate favourable treatment vs the rest of the world (under Most Favoured Nation clauses as part of the WTO agreement).
Now, if the UK had some sort of agreement on customs checks with the EU, then it would be fine.
But it doesn't, so it's not.
As a result, the UK is open to WTO disputes, which are very common. These allow countries to unilaterally impose tariffs on single WTO members in retaliation for breaches of WTO protocols. The world is currently kinda letting the UK get away with it because there was a clear plan, albeit one with shifting dates which would make landing a dispute difficult (because the UK could counter by saying they're making steps to be compliant).
The EU vs US is a good example of that, there's been a couple of decades of disputes and billions in tariffs as a result. The countermeasures on both sides included extra tariffs on wine, spirits, dairy, cheese, handbags and tobacco.
It'd basically make the self-imposed sanctions by the UK as a result of Brexit much, much worse.
Backsliding definitely opens the door on potential disputes from other WTO members.
Brexit is going well, isn't it?
Re: "dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
Make are cuntry grate again.
Re: "dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
The world is currently kinda letting the UK get away with it because there was a clear plan, albeit one with shifting dates which would make landing a dispute difficult (because the UK could counter by saying they're making steps to be compliant).
Indeed, but even if the world is watching like hawks poised to open a dispute then quietly letting lorries through for a day or so while the system is down would have meant that no-one would have been any the wiser. Sometimes when it comes to disaster recovery you've got to be pragmatic... but Brexit is not the product of pragmatic people.
Re: "dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
We are we importing food from Europe ?
We fought a war referendum so we wouldn't be forced to eat foreign food.
We should be eating Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding (only in Yorkshire, the southerners can eat Jellied eels or whatever)
A power outage
What ? There was no backup system ?
This is a critical component of UK economy, and nobody thought that a backup power generator might be useful ?
Just how stupid are the numpties that plan these things ?
If you can call that planning . . .
Re: A power outage
Who said they didn't have a backup? Maybe the backup failed too.
I've seen a client have 3 backups and still lose datacentre - one backup was under maintenance and the other two failed to work.
Re: A power outage
Only one backup system? Surely anything as time-critical as customs systems handling perishable goods, particularly food and livestock, should have fully duplicated IT kit powered by a similarly duplicated power supply. The system as a whole needs to protect any and all time-critical goods in transit against damage from any source including, but not limited to officialdom as well as IT system problems, PSU failures and mains failures.
Last but not least, it would be reasonable for HM Customs to carry perishable goods insurance against damage due to inspection delays regardless of what caused the delay..
Re: A power outage
Even the computers on aeroplanes typically have a minimum of three systems with a voting configuration deciding which one works. But apparently the UK already voted so can't ever vote again.
Re: A power outage
"Just how stupid are the numpties that plan these things ?"
About as stupid as the numpties who thought the whole thing was a good idea in the irst place.
Re: A power outage
I don't recall any power backup systems in the days before the UK joined the EU so this just suggests the politicians never thought about all the changes.
Regardless of how we feel about Brexit we just need to make everything work these days. I thought Brexit was stupid, it resulted in destroying all my efforts to move my company from the US to England so I've had to move it to another company in the US now, making zero $.
The only positive side of all this for me is that I have retired and plan to return and live in Wales.
Re: A power outage
"The only positive side of all this for me is that I have retired and plan to return and live in Wales."
I spend a fair amount of time in Wales, I can see no positive side in retiring to the Parochiality. If you think Brexit was bad, then the Welsh government's xenophobic and small minded outlook may come as a bit of a disappointment. But the people of Wales voted for the Welsh government, so clearly they're happy with the state of Wales.
Re: A power outage
>What ? There was no backup system ?
Yes there were 4 sockets on the extension and the computer was only using one - so there were 3 spares (expect the office kettle is plugged into one)
At least the lettuces should be fine
+/- 20 hrs - meh
Re: At least the lettuces should be fine
Out survived a truss
Re: At least the lettuces should be fine
The problems reported in the article are just the tip of the iceberg though.
Re: At least the lettuces should be fine
Hopefully it won't be arugula occurrence
Re: At least the lettuces should be fine
But at what Kos?
Re: At least the lettuces should be fine
Really? What then still romaines?
I think there will be a huge rise in smuggling
To be honest much easier to cheap than play by new rules.
Especially smallish high value goods.
Good example with modelling hobbies.
Smuggle a few grands worth of model railway locos from UK to EU, smuggle a similar amount back.
Not much room and could claim they are your own.
Re: I think there will be a huge rise in smuggling
I really want a BBC 'breaking black' type series about the international model railway smuggling cartels
why not go back to letting lorries through until the problem is fixed ?
Because the UK is a member of the WTO, and WTO rules are such that if you are waving one countries goods through ignoring any treaties, then you have to wave them ALL through.
Currently the UK is being treated like the idiot it is by the WTO. However that won't last long. Do you think China and India are going to sit back and let it happen ?
Laurel & Hardy in "Nothing but Brexit "
Incompetence on a truly national scale. They can't keep the e-passport machines working, they can't keep the border system for goods working, huge increases in costs for importing and exporting goods to our nearest neighbours, and we haven't even fully implemented all of the idiotic measures that need to be put in place because of Brexit. If we keep on like this we will soon get dropped from the G7 because we will be 8th and dropping. Anyone feel like taking back their "Project Fear" comments now that they are all becoming Reality?
"dozens of lorries were being held at the government's control post... for up to 20 hours"
If the UK only started post-Brexit physical checks at the beginning of April, why not go back to letting lorries through until the problem is fixed instead of holding them all for a day and screwing up lorryloads of food?