The UK government activity has issued a statement saying the volume of freight exports from Great Britain to the European Union has returned to normal , in spite of the new post - Brexit barriers to switch with the EU and restriction related to the pandemic . Its internal information shows that the flow of roll - on rolling wave - off load going to the EU in early February was at 98 % of the grade find during the same period in 2020 .
But experts claim the movie is more complicated , with a much large act of lorries returning to the EU empty in 2021 . That signify the value of freight exportation so far this twelvemonth will have fall . Also , , comparisons with the same period last year are not idealistic , because it also saw to-do of normal trade pattern , as the UK prepared to leave the EU .
political science data shows that the issue of lorries cut across from Britain to the EU is now snug to what functionary would expect . But if far more of them are empty , that does n’t help very much . The government ’s definition of book of trade includes lorries that are empty .
At the start of the year trade wind was down sharply , but it is improving . The Cabinet Office enounce the outbound flow rate of lorries across the Short Straits in January was 67 % of 2020 floor , and in the first one-half of February it was 85 % of 2020 levels . That ’s still quite a significant drop , but things are clearly get adept as many businesses conform to the Modern violent tape and costs for trade with Europe .
As reported onbbc.com , Covid - confinement have played a full-grown part in the slow starting signal to the trading class as well . There was also important stockpiling in December , as businesses prepare for the changes with the EU .
Empty lorriesThe government calculates that in normal multiplication , about 30 % of lorries which have convey goods into the UK from the EU proceeds empty . So far this year , this number has arise to about 50 % - but it is now beginning to fall .
simulacrum : Cabinet Office
When it come to the Dover to Calais route , using the government ’s own estimates to make a pugnacious calculation , the telephone number of full lorries contain exports to the EU in January was about half what it was a twelvemonth earlier . The calculation for the first one-half of February is secure ( over 60 % of last yr ’s figures ) , and the government is convinced the numbers will better . But we will have to hold back until March to get prescribed barter statistic for January , which will give a precise picture of the note value of exportation to Europe .
In the end , the economic value is more important than the volume .
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