UK nurseries since brexit

[Chris in Leeds]

Hi All
I was wondering what cactus and succulent nurseries we will be able to buy from in 2024 after a number of nursery owners have retired or sadly passed away (RIP to them all)

[Benjy]

What does passing away or retirement have to do with brexit ?

[Chris in Leeds]

And since Brexit we cannot legally import plants from what I keep getting told

Sorry Benjy I edited it and didn’t check before posting

[Stuart]

It's correct that since Brexit, anyone buying plants by post from abroad or coming through UK Customs with plants is risking having them taken if there's no accompanying Phyto, and CITES if necessary.
Without going into commercially sensitive details, Brexit should make no difference to nurseries other than extra time and cost. It took quite a bit of planning during lockdown but I've cut the time down from four hours to just over an hour and the cost isn't much when worked out at the cost per plant. The time includes online DEFRA declarations and HMRC VAT payments which have to be done from abroad in advance. According to the BBC website a couple of days ago, an article on endangered animal and plant species referred to confiscating 20 tonnes of plants in October. I can't imagine that's true but I'd not recommend risking importing plants without the correct paperwork. I still wouldn't want to just ship in plants from abroad, I still grow as much myself as I can.
As far as nurseries go, the good news is that tables are fully booked for the main cactus marts that have taken bookings for tables and most of us are still around. Cactus nurseries are like the best musicians, they don't take any notice of the retirement age. I can only think of one nurseryman who reached retirement age and closed down. There's a National Cactus Mart next year where I'd expect to see most nurseries. Sadly, people don't travel to visit individual nurseries these days, everything is done online, and there's maybe only one nursery left that has opening times and doesn't require a prior phone call. I think the future is still bright for cactus nurseries.

Stuart

[RayW]

As Stuart says Brexit has made little difference to bringing plants or seeds in from the EU.
As an individual it is even easier for small orders for myself, than for a nursery or garden centre.
In 2023 I brought in 3 orders from the EU the first charged me 20 euros for the Phyto, 1 copy of which was on the outside of the box so customs could see it, with my copy inside the box for my retention.
The second nursery charged me 20 euros for the Phyto and 20 euros for the extra paperwork ?
The third did not charge me anything as the order was seeds only.
Most EU nurseries will not sell CITES listed plants to individuals outside the EU. That's anywhere outside the EU ( it is not an UK only rule ).
Yes the above is different to before Brexit.
But with a little planning it makes very little difference to me.
I think a National Mart is a great idea and all nurseries and sellers should make the most of the opportunity.

[SimonT]

There has been a lot of confusion around the EU import regulations following Brexit (discussed many times on this forum).
Aa a result at the moment I'm put out off purchasing any cactus plants from the EU. I don't want to unintentionally break the rules and have my order siezed by customs. So if the regulations are not clear and easy to follow then I just don't order. I suspect many people take a similar approach.

If I look at the web sites of the various UK suppliers that I look to order from most often, none are currently sending orders to outside the UK. I've put quotes from their web sites below to illustrate this. This does not seem to be a particularly good situation and suggests to be that there are still significant barriers to trade following Brexit.

Cactusland
"Unfortunately, due to the high cost of export requirements we are only able to supply to the UK excluding Northern Ireland."

Cactusshop
"We regret that due to the failure of Brexit we can no longer ship overseas orders."

Abbeybrook Cacti
"We only deliver within the UK"

C&V Cacti
"Orders can only be accepted from within the United Kingdom"

Ralf Martin
Only ships within the UK

[Stuart]

The last time I checked with DEFRA, they were charging £60 for each 15 minutes plus travel costs to issue a phyto. This is around the same costs that I pay in Holland. For a commercial shipment £200 to £300 for a phyto can be absorbed into costs, for a UK cactus nursery sending a small box of plants abroad it effectively rules it out. Unless the taxpayers were to subsidise the phyto costs, and I can't see why they should, small UK nurseries can't export plants legally. Brexit hasn't made any difference to the phyto charges, commercial factors have never made concessions to small businesses.

Stuart

[Benjy]

Yes, sorry:) I understand it now, interesting, and the replies too.

[SimonT]

I see that phyto charges may not have changed since Brexit but presumably the requirements for a phyto to export to the EU have changed.

I wonder if the core issue is about the folding in of the CITES certification into the phyto certificate.
So if a cacti export required a phyto purely because of CITES, maybe they should be inspected differently to where a phyto is required for biosecurity reasons?

[habanerocat]

I have a bookmark for Ian Robinson at:

http://www.tynyllidiart.co.uk/home

But it's not working now.
Anybody know anything?