LONDON, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Border controls on products from the European Union (EU) to Britain are set to be tightened from Saturday under post-Brexit import rules, likely to cause delays at ports and threaten supply disruption, according to industry association leaders and surveys.

In the upcoming new year, importers must make a full customs declaration on goods entering Britain, and traders will no longer be able to delay completing full import customs declarations for up to 175 days, a measure once introduced to cushion the impact of Brexit.

Concerns have grown over the chaos that the thrice-delayed checks could possibly bring. "Whilst the new UK rules will be introduced in stages, we are concerned that not enough planning has been done to ensure the new requirements are understood by everyone in the food supply chain," said Chief Executive of the British Frozen Food Federation Richard Harrow in a recent article.

"Whilst the UK authorities have said they will not stop vehicles that do not complete all the documents correctly, this assumes the EU port will allow a vehicle without the correct paperwork to leave port," the frozen industry expert added.

Though declining, trade between the two sides remains lively. The EU as a whole is still Britain's largest trading partner. Trade figures released by the Office for National Statistics in early December showed that in the three months to October, nearly half of Britain's imports were from the EU.

Faced with the new controls, businesses in the country seemed not ready yet. In a poll conducted in November of nearly 600 business leaders by the Institute of Directors, a British professional organization, 30 percent of relevant businesses described themselves as "not at all prepared" for these changes. Only 19 percent said they were "very prepared."

"Significant changes to our customs arrangements are going to be introduced, for which a large portion of businesses are either unprepared or simply unaware," said Kitty Ussher, chief economist at the institute, in a press release.

"This will exacerbate existing supply chain problems, leading to further congestion at ports, as well as extra costs from accidental non-compliance for many businesses."

Among the businesses, small ones are expected to take the brunt of the changes for their lack of updated information. A Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) research carried out in September and October showed 16 percent of the importers surveyed are unable to prepare in the current climate, and a third say they were unaware of the introduction of checks prior to the FSB study, but will be affected by them.

"Given the turmoil of the past 18 months, new concerns about the spread of COVID, and this being the busiest time of year for many," FSB National Chairman Mike Cherry said in a press release. "It's understandable that few firms are fully prepared for the introduction of import controls from January."

In a bid to avoid disruption, the British government has reached out to those badly informed. According to Jim Harra, chief executive and first permanent secretary of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Britain's tax, payments and customs authority, the department wrote monthly to 14,000 EU haulage firms to raise the level of readiness for EU hauliers.

Noting that "we will undoubtedly see some lorries turned away, at least initially," nevertheless, Harra told the Public Accounts Committee in November that he was confident the drivers would soon adapt.

Among the preparations by the government and industry leaders, the Home Office has also recruited 2,000 extra Border Force staff to cope with import controls and plans to hire more in 2022, according to The Telegraph.

A government spokesperson was quoted by The Guardian as saying: "We have been running a targeted campaign across print, radio and online to signpost businesses to the relevant information - and officials across government are leading a series of sector-based webinars to help traders and hauliers get ready." Enditem

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