This month we are highlighting three guest posts:
WSTA historic win as government scrap wine-specific paperwork
WSTA scores historic win as Government announce scrapping of arduous and unnecessary wine paperwork. The Wine and Spirit Trade Association has won a significant post-Brexit victory for its members and consumers, after the UK government has agreed to scrap wine-specific paperwork on imports from across the globe. Following the referendum, the WSTA started a campaign calling for the Government to do away with the time consuming and costly VI-1 forms on imported wine. Full details here
Read Drinks Business story on this amazing win by WSTA for our industry, here
Further update on the VI-1 forms here including a comment by own Chris Porter read full article here
BIFA releases freight report on the issues impacting the Container Market
Giving an impartial perspective on the current situation with regard to sea freight, BIFA considers current market conditions to be the most challenging faced in recent years. Read their press and report here https://kbl.kukla-spedition.com/bifa-releases-report-on-the-issues-impacting-the-container-market
UK-Australia in principal bilateral Free Trade Agreement
Australian Grape & Wine welcomes the announcement that Australia and the United Kingdom have reached an in-principal bilateral Free Trade Agreement [FTA]. The is seen as a milestone on the path towards an agreement that will see more wine lovers in the UK enjoying Australia’s finest drops. Read the full details here
Current situation update
We are now midway through 2021.The recent issues surrounding equipment availability and placement in EU regions impacting lead-times, collections and deliveries have changed little since our last bulletin. The key causes mentioned in June continue to affect the UK logistics sector as we go through the summer:
European Freight
Severe flooding caused by violent storms has resulted in widespread disruption to logistics and manufacturing operations over the past few days in Western Europe, in Belgium, Luxembourg, parts of the Netherlands, and western Germany. Eighteen people died and dozens were unaccounted for around the wine-growing region of Ahrweiler in the Rhineland-Palatinate state, after the Ahr river that flows into the Rhine broke its banks
Rail Freight
Some European railway lines are gradually getting back into operation, while, in several cases, trains are using diversions:
- Belgium, Infrabel (Belgium Railway Network) is attempting to restart rail traffic line by line.
- Netherlands, the situation is less severe with problems only occurring on cross-border connections to Belgium and specifically between Maastricht and Liege.
- Western Germany suffered very significant infrastructure damage caused by the floods, that also had an effect on their international rail freight traffic. North-Rhine Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate were the two most affected German states.
Deutsche Bahn has recorded substantial rail infrastructure problems with massive damage to more than 80 stations and stops, tracks over a length of more than 600 kilometres, switches, signalling technology, signal boxes, bridges and vehicles used in regional, S-Bahn and freight traffic.
Road Freight
The impact of the floods has added to the already extended transit time for road haulage from Northern Europe and very careful planning alongside an allowance for longer transit times are needed.
Planning ahead – Summer Closures and Christmas 2021
The current disruptions to supply chains are unlikely to recede in the next few months.
Quarter four, will require adjustments to your stock replenishment schedules to cover this period. This will inevitably lead to a demand for extra warehousing space . With Christmas on the horizon, this is the time to plan, with the knowledge that supply chain disruptions are likely to continue until the end of the year
