One in four small export businesses have stopped selling to the EU, poll finds
Almost one in four small businesses which export goods have temporarily stopped shipping to the EU since the end of the Brexit transition period, a survey has found.
Close to a third (32 per cent) have lost goods in transit, and an even greater proportion (34 per cent) have had goods held indefinitely at EU border crossings. Of those that have experienced delays, 36 per cent have suffered hold-ups that lasted more than two weeks.
The Federation of Small Businesses surveyed 1,483 firms between 1 and 15 March. It found that seven in 10 importers and exporters suffered shipment delays when moving goods around the EU in recent weeks.
Around one in 25 have decided to stop selling into the EU permanently after new trading rules came into force at the start of this year, the poll suggested.