No-Deal Brexit: What this means for UK Logistics

With Brexit day looming, what can the logistics industry expect?

As it stands, wooden pallets can travel throughout Europe without heat treatment but require heat treatment when being moved outside of the EU. A no-deal Brexit means we become a third-party country, and all freight going into the EU from the UK, and vice versa, will require heat-treated pallets.

The only problem is, as a country we don’t have the resources to heat treat the current supply of pallets being transported to and from the EU. There is little doubt, therefore, that a spike in demand following a no-deal Brexit would be faced with delivery delays, unavailability and cost increases.

The demand for heat-treated pallets may already be on the rise, but don’t panic. PR Pallets are able to meet our customers demands by using our own heat treating kiln. If you are looking to safeguard your shipments, get in touch to stock up on ISPM-15 compliant pallets.

What are the Requirements?

The requirements that would come into play following a no-deal Brexit would see that all timber packaging that is destined for EU countries, including pallets, must be heat treated for a minimum of 30 minutes at 56ºC, or fumigated to comply with ISPM15. They must also be officially marked with the ISPM15 stamp consisting of three important codes; country, producer and measure applied. DEFRA has concluded that there are nowhere near enough of these pallets currently available in the UK.

This could prevent the transiting of pallets carrying millions of tonnes of goods between the UK and the 27-country alliance, which could potentially lead to food shortages around Europe. Currently, pallets moving between EU member states, including the UK, are exempt from this standard, with experts saying less than a third of the pallets used for EU and UK trade comply with ISPM15.

In an official notice DEFRA said: “In the event of no deal, all WPM [wood packaging material] moving between the UK and the EU must meet ISPM15 international standards by undergoing heat treatment and marking.”

How Can PR Pallets Help?

There are many ways in which PR Pallets can help support your business in the event of a no-deal Brexit. We have the facilities available to heat treat pallets in our very own heat treating kiln, which we have been doing for over 10 years now. With quick turnaround times and plenty of heat-treated pallets in stock, contact our team today to see how we can help, 01992 761 116.