Wine lovers to save £130m as Brexit red tape cut
Ministers are set to give British wine-lovers something to celebrate with red tape adding £130m to the naion’s booze bill set to be scrapped.
VI-1 certificates, a post-Brexit document importers were set to be required to fill in when shipping to the UK, will no longer be launched.
Food and Drink Minister Victoria Prentis said, “the British wine industry has increasingly delivered fantastic wines at great value from all around the world.
“Cutting this needless red tape will place our businesses in a stronger position internationally, as they continue to grow, while consumers can raise a glass to great wine from around the world.”
The introduction of the VI-1 certificates post-Brexit has been consistently delayed and came under scrutiny as members of the wine industry said paperwork would create more costs for businesses.
International Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena said, “through our trade deals, we are making it easier for British consumers to access to top-quality products from around the world – including wine – and we are bringing down foreign trade barriers to open up even more opportunities for British businesses to succeed overseas.”