On 24th June 2016 the United Kingdom awoke to find that the country was leaving the EU which was quite a surprise for the 49.5% of those who voted to remain. The UK formally left the EU on 31st January 2020 with an eleven-month transition period that expired on 1st January this year.

Increased bureaucracy and changes in certification

With the end of the free movement of goods, labour and capital back in January, it looked like life was going to get really tricky for businesses such as ours who manufacture in Europe and sell into the UK and, indeed, it did.

Heavy bureaucracy, the COVID-19 pandemic, the very severe shortage of truck drivers and other key workers who have had to return to their East EU countries, have all added to the strain on a global supply chain already struggling to service established trade links let alone an untested and over complicated UK market – the last few years have been tricky indeed.

Brexit also brought with it changes in certification and marking with the UKCA mark (UK Conformity Assessment) replacing CE marking for most products from 1st January 2022 (following a year of delays)  –  currently, dual marking is accepted giving businesses time to adapt. “Riga Wood” branded products are, of course, UKCA certified and dual marked.

Preparation is everything

It may seem that the UK market should be shaken but, when it comes to birch plywood, it has remained stable, not stirred. The Riga brand has a deserved reputation for quality in both products and services, ensuring reliability and performance through even the most turbulent times.

“To ensure the service that our customers expect from us, we made careful preparations for Brexit –  for example, we shipped enough stock to the UK in the December before Brexit  to allow time for changes to take effect without affecting our customer base and, effective team work with our colleagues in Riga, ensured that the necessary documentation was in place for future trade some months before the end of the year.  This enabled Riga Wood to avoid customs clearance delays   – something that was a major problem for many importers. For Riga Wood the transition period can be described as smooth and successful.”

Simon Butler, Director of Riga Wood Ltd.

Brexit vs Covid-19 vs GDP

Brexit was a historical turning point in the relations between Europe and the UK, and certainly the Covid-19 pandemic has been headline news for eighteen months or more but,  one thing is common to both – problems in the supply chain causing delays, empty supermarket shelves, empty petrol stations and additional costs.

Future generations will most likely look at the data on the long-term impact of Brexit vs Covid-19 and judge that Brexit hit Britain’s GDP harder than Covid-19,  so far…