Cornwall鈥檚 exporters have been urged to continue trading abroad despite short-term Brexit hurdles 鈥 or face losing overseas sales forever.
The Cornwall Chamber of Commerce has raised concerns that complex new requirements, red tape, extra costs and lack of support are compounding to create chaos for exporters to Europe.
But it stressed companies should not abandon overseas markets, even if there are obstacles, and even in the short term, because it could mean customers will look elsewhere for products.
Kim Conchie, , said: 鈥淣ow is not the time to start cutting back on your exporting. Yes, it鈥檚 an extremely worrying situation, but we cannot afford to take a step back at this point.鈥
The chamber said that 2020 was the year 海角视频 businesses were expected to be bombarded with news of Brexit; receiving 鈥渞eams of helpful information鈥, support from the Government, and other bodies in the exporting process, to guide them through any turbulence.
But the organisation said that what actually happened was that the coronavirus pandemic hit the uK and Brexit took a back seat.
IS YOUR FIRM HAVING PROBLEMS EXPORTING SINCE THE EU TRADE DEAL WAS FINALISED? PLEASE COMMENT BELOW
Now that a trade deal with the European Union has been signed, Cornwall Chamber of Commerce is getting reports of exporters 鈥 particularly those transporting fresh produce such as meat and fish 鈥 are struggling to get their products through to the EU.
How to contact William Telford and Business Live
Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
To contact William: Email: william.telford@reachplc.com - Phone: 01752 293116 - Mob: 07584 594052 - Twitter: - LinkedIn: - Facebook:
Stay in touch: BusinessLive newsletters have been re-designed to make them even better. We send morning bulletins straight to your inbox on the latest news, views and opinion in the South West. Get our breaking news alerts and weekly sector reviews too. Sign up now - it's free and it only takes a minute. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click .
And visit the Business Live South West LinkedIn page
The chamber said the HMRC and freight forwarders don鈥檛 appear to have capacity to keep up with the extra volume of work. And on the EU side, additional certificates are bamboozling 海角视频 exporters and causing a delay in the system or even seeing them refused entry - something they cannot afford, especially where perishable products such as meat and fish are concerned.
The chamber said it is extremely worrying to hear that some EU companies are cancelling orders due to the issues they are having with getting goods into the union.
Cornwall Chamber has vowed to continue to 鈥渉old the Government to account on its commitment to supporting businesses through Brexit and out the other side鈥. It said there is a clear message: if the 海角视频 stops exporting even for a short time, EU businesses will start to look elsewhere.
Cornwall Chamber is urging the Duchy鈥檚 exporters to utilise its services and the services of 海角视频 Trade and Investment (海角视频TI) in order to do everything they can to get goods through to the EU.
Mr Conchie said: 鈥淚f we let them down now we don鈥檛 know if we鈥檒l ever get them back again; it鈥檚 not a risk we should be taking.鈥
