Ready for Brexit?

[DRC]

If there was no Brexit, and the notion had never been dreamt up, what would the government be doing now?

There seems to be bugger all else for them to do.

There was a piece on radio 2 today, talking about all the things that have been on hold because the civil servants are on brexit duty and the government is pretty well paralysed. It’s costing us more than people realise. There was supposed to have been a social care bill and housing bill for instance.

 

[Tha Ulsterscot]

If there was no Brexit, and the notion had never been dreamt up, what would the government be doing now?

There seems to be bugger all else for them to do.

Our politicians haven't been to work for near enough 2 YEARS now, and can't say they're missed much. the whole shower should be sacked and the money put into the NHS.

 

[curlietailz]

We have all 2019 fertiliser in the shed.
Got a bit of pesticides but the buying group is sorting the stuff
Am about to buy all the wearing metal we think we’ll need next week so I can get them on the workshop floor

I’m most worried about combine spares and speed of delivery at harvest. Gone stock up on lifters and fingers but that’s about it

 

[fgc325j]

On R4 this morning they ran a piece about the tender process for 'ECMT international haulage permits', which will be required by UK hauliers to operate in the EU after Brexit.
- According to the RHA only 10% of applicants were granted permits by the EU.

So, it looks like this will be the preferred method the EU will use to threaten an embargo / create a 'restriction of trade' on the UK, to 'focus government attention' on an outcome that suits the EU.
Depth charges at the ready, It's the 'Battle for the Atlantic' all over again.

Without turning this thread into a Brexit bitch-fest, what practical measures can be taken in advance to prevent serious disruption to farming operations in the UK, if (when?) the political dispute starts to heat up / escalate this summer ?

I'm thinking along the lines of:

Agchem imports - stockpile pre Brexit, 1 season, 2 seasons, 3...
Ditto vet and med etc.
Collapse in barley exports to Iberia - plant something other than spring barley?
Collapse of lamb export demand?
'Tit for tat' import ban on French maize etc?
Exodus / banning of foreign farm labour?
Availability of combine spares (etc) within X days of breakdown - contingency fund to hire in 'alternatives'.
Nitrogen fert - no action, suitable domestic and Ukrainian etc supply.
Implications to cash flow / ability to trade / willingness of lender to support agri-business, or sell us out?

What would you add to the list?

With regards to the border issue between Eire and Northern Ireland, Switzerland is NOT a member of the
EU, yet it is bordering France, Germany and Italy. I've a family member who has been working out in
Geneva for the last 30 years, but he lives over the border in France, commuting in and out of Switzerland
daily. I am also assuming that there is a lot of freight, both train and lorries in transit through Switzerland,
and this movement of goods has been going on longer than the period in which the EU has been slowly
gaining control via it's insidious rules and regulations. If there is a special agreement for this trade then
why can't the blueprint be applied to the current NI/Eire border dilemma ??

 

[Morph]

Switzerland has agreed to some eu legislation in return for partial access to markets.
Being tied in this way is unacceptable to some.

 

[Muck Spreader]

On R4 this morning they ran a piece about the tender process for 'ECMT international haulage permits', which will be required by UK hauliers to operate in the EU after Brexit.
- According to the RHA only 10% of applicants were granted permits by the EU.

So, it looks like this will be the preferred method the EU will use to threaten an embargo / create a 'restriction of trade' on the UK, to 'focus government attention' on an outcome that suits the EU.
Depth charges at the ready, It's the 'Battle for the Atlantic' all over again.

Without turning this thread into a Brexit bitch-fest, what practical measures can be taken in advance to prevent serious disruption to farming operations in the UK, if (when?) the political dispute starts to heat up / escalate this summer ?

I'm thinking along the lines of:

Agchem imports - stockpile pre Brexit, 1 season, 2 seasons, 3...
Ditto vet and med etc.
Collapse in barley exports to Iberia - plant something other than spring barley?
Collapse of lamb export demand?
'Tit for tat' import ban on French maize etc?
Exodus / banning of foreign farm labour?
Availability of combine spares (etc) within X days of breakdown - contingency fund to hire in 'alternatives'.
Nitrogen fert - no action, suitable domestic and Ukrainian etc supply.
Implications to cash flow / ability to trade / willingness of lender to support agri-business, or sell us out?

What would you add to the list?

The requirement for ECMT international haulage permits is nothing to do with the EU . In the event of a no deal Brexit the UK will become a third country and truck drivers will therefor need to have an international haulage permit. This is regulated under a quota system by the ECMT (part of the OECD) who cover 43 European counties. The quota for the UK, is only 987 permits for Euro VI lorries (additional monthly ones available). These will only be allocated by the DoT for full time international haulage mostly for perishable goods.

 

[Tarw Coch]

The requirement for ECMT international haulage permits is nothing to do with the EU . In the event of a no deal Brexit the UK will become a third country and truck drivers will therefor need to have an international haulage permit. This is regulated under a quota system by the ECMT (part of the OECD) who cover 43 European counties. The quota for the UK, is only 987 permits for Euro VI lorries (additional monthly ones available). These will only be allocated by the DoT for full time international haulage mostly for perishable goods.

Then some heads need banging together, things need to change, a solution needs to be found, if a system of permits is needed then enough need granting to allow trade to continue as normal.
It seems that beaurecracy is throwing hurdles in the way of things carrying on as before, some arse kicking is needed.

 

[grainboy]

Total scaremongering,
Europe needs our business to survive,
Do you think the likes of Ikea, Audi, BMW, Bosch, Siemens, and all the other manufacturers are going to sit back.
They themselves will revolt if they can’t trade, they need our money.
We import everything from Nappies to Coffins, etc etc.

 

[stewart]

With regards to the border issue between Eire and Northern Ireland, Switzerland is NOT a member of the
EU, yet it is bordering France, Germany and Italy. I've a family member who has been working out in
Geneva for the last 30 years, but he lives over the border in France, commuting in and out of Switzerland
daily. I am also assuming that there is a lot of freight, both train and lorries in transit through Switzerland,
and this movement of goods has been going on longer than the period in which the EU has been slowly
gaining control via it's insidious rules and regulations. If there is a special agreement for this trade then
why can't the blueprint be applied to the current NI/Eire border dilemma ??

Very simple, Switzerland is in the Schengen area.

 

[Hereward]

Then some heads need banging together, things need to change, a solution needs to be found, if a system of permits is needed then enough need granting to allow trade to continue as normal.
It seems that beaurecracy is throwing hurdles in the way of things carrying on as before, some arse kicking is needed.

How about UK truck drivers take the goods or the trailer to the UK ports and EU drivers take the goods/trailers onwards into the EU, everyones happy. Less foreign trucks on UK roads less UK trucks on EU roads, sounds good.

 

[stewart]

The requirement for ECMT international haulage permits is nothing to do with the EU . In the event of a no deal Brexit the UK will become a third country and truck drivers will therefor need to have an international haulage permit. This is regulated under a quota system by the ECMT (part of the OECD) who cover 43 European counties. The quota for the UK, is only 987 permits for Euro VI lorries (additional monthly ones available). These will only be allocated by the DoT for full time international haulage mostly for perishable goods.

I think you are missing the point, it is far easier to blame the EU for everything than own up to reality and admit that the UK is responsible for the cock up.

 

[Highland Mule]

I think you are missing the point, it is far easier to blame the EU for everything than own up to reality and admit that the UK is responsible for the cock up.

It’s the standard Brexiteer response though, isn’t it? Ignore the facts, blame Europe and claim that everything will be grand once we are freed from the tyrany of the “unelected” EU parliament (you know, the one we vote for), then claim that anything else is “Project Fear”.

 

[Tarw Coch]

How about UK truck drivers take the goods or the trailer to the UK ports and EU drivers take the goods/trailers onwards into the EU, everyones happy. Less foreign trucks on UK roads less UK trucks on EU roads, sounds good.

What happens to ownership of trailers from a vast number of haulage companies? For that to work everything would need to be unloaded and reloaded at ports/Euro tunnel, totally impractical.

A common sense licensing arrangement is needed if indeed any licensing is needed in the first place, I’m not convinced it is but beaurecrats being beaurecrats, I don’t think they’d like that idea.

 

[Hereward]

What happens to ownership of trailers from a vast number of haulage companies? For that to work everything would need to be unloaded and reloaded at ports/Euro tunnel, totally impractical.

A common sense licensing arrangement is needed if indeed any licensing is needed on the first place, I’m not convinced it is but beaurecrats being beaurecrats, I don’t think they’d like that idea.

What happens to drivers family time when there away driving for days and weeks at a time?

A simple trailer leasing system, look for opportunities not problems.

Containers takes seconds to load/unload have you been to a modern container port?

 

[stewart]

It’s the standard Brexiteer response though, isn’t it? Ignore the facts, blame Europe and claim that everything will be grand once we are freed from the tyrany of the “unelected” EU parliament (you know, the one we vote for), then claim that anything else is “Project Fear”.

And when Leave doesn't look like it is working out too well it is some how all the fault of the remainers, go figure.

 

[Brisel]

Oh dear. Another thread started with good intentions descends into the usual Leave/Remain bickering

 

[Highland Mule]

Oh dear. Another thread started with good intentions descends into the usual Leave/Remain bickering

You’re probably blaming me for tat, so I’ll try and drag it back towards “preparing”, even though we don’t know what is happening, when and what change it will make.

I’ve sold all my lambs - all away as prime.
I’ve bought all inputs to take me through until late summer (feed, diesel, heating oil)
I’ve got a cash pile in the bank - with saving in the form of bonds mostly inversted internationally, to shelter me from any pound crashes
I’m trying my best to make people realise that the whole mess doesn’t have to happen, that loads of lies were told at the time of the referendum (by both sides, but mostly by the utopia selling brexiteers) and that with a bit of a push we could cancel the whole farce and go back to being a proper country, rather than the second rate mess this fiasco will plunge us into for the next two decades.

 

[Tarw Coch]

What happens to drivers family time when there away driving for days and weeks at a time?

A simple trailer leasing system, look for opportunities not problems.

Containers takes seconds to load/unload have you been to a modern container port?

Many drivers out all week and never leave the country indeed it’s not just lorry drivers who can be away from family all week.

Trailer leasing allready exists but it’s not for everyone, relations of mine were pioneers of international refrigerated lorry transport and now focus on trailer leasing/rental so I’ve heard a bit about such things over the years.

Not everything comes in containers nor does it need to, no I’ve never been to a container port but I’m sure they’re very efficient considering the numbers they are dealing with but could they cope with everything that doesn’t currently move in containers passing through as well?

Ultimately it’s all making a mountain out of a molehill, as I said earlier, a bit of arse kicking is needed to enable things to carry on as normal.

 

[Highland Mule]

What happens to drivers family time when there away driving for days and weeks at a time?

A simple trailer leasing system, look for opportunities not problems.

Containers takes seconds to load/unload have you been to a modern container port?

Trying to maintain this thread on an even keel with debate - you have six weeks to establish, kit out and staff an international “trailer leasing company” with 10,000 trans frontier movements a day - achievable?

 

[Hereward]

Trying to maintain this thread on an even keel with debate - you have six weeks to establish, kit out and staff an international “trailer leasing company” with 10,000 trans frontier movements a day - achievable?

Mankind has accomplished greater things.