Farmers all over the UK are concerned about the effects of Brexit on their ability to get the crucial work shop supplies and all of the other farm supplies that they need.
Farm and Workshop supply lines under Brexit
It seems like the long awaited ‘Brexit deal’ may finally be due. Though the UK technically left the EU in January of this year, nothing ‘really’ changed right away. The day things are actually set to change is 31 December 2020. And the question on the minds of many of the UK’s farmers and workshop owners is ‘what am I going to do if I suddenly can’t get crucial farm supplies, tool or equipment spares or general workshop supplies until they actually sort this all out?’
The simple truth is that quite a lot of the farm supplies used in every part of the UK come from overseas, and the bulk come from Europe. Worse, the UK’s position on the map means that feed materials that come from all over the world actually come to the UK after being transhipped in nearby EU ports such as Rotterdam.
Will the proposed import tariffs affect spares and farm supplies?
Another wrinkle is the possibility of putting import tariffs on EU goods, starting as early as January 2020 – which is just around the corner. As trade negotiations continue to stall and drag on, nothing can really be said to be ‘off the table’, including Michael Gove’s threat to impose tariffs which could severely increase the actual cost of farm supplies like spare parts, farm machinery, medicines for animals, feed additives, fertilisers and other agrochemicals.
The prospect of added tariffs on these goods is particularly alarming, as experts tell us that there is no way a post-Brexit world order can result in anything other than added delay and bureaucracy. This in and of itself will raise prices on both sides of the new UK/EU divide, and any more difficulty in goods moving across that border will be more hassle and uncertainty for UK farmers. When these are added to the actual cost increase from the tariff and the extra delays likely in the early days of the tariff’s roll-out, the cost to the UK’s farmers could be severe.
How can I be sure to get the workshop supplies I need?
There is some good news on the horizon, though. Many UK-based farm suppliers are stocking up, and preparing to meet the needs of all of their old customers even as the rise in demand makes them new ones. We at Multimax are no different, and we have every intention of not only meeting or improving our existing delivery times for all the work shop supplies we normally sell, but if meeting the demand of new customers with equal agility. Multimax also offers more farm supplies than you might expect, including items like cutting disc, air compressors and hydraulic jacks which could be in very high demand in a few months. We urge anyone concerned about their ability to keep their farm and/or workshop stocked in the first few crucial months of ‘the real Brexit’ to browse what we offer, and to consider the benefit of using a large, well-stocked and reputable supplier like Multimax for all of your farm and workshop supplies.