Eurotunnel has declared itself ready for a no-deal Brexit as it unveiled £13m of new infrastructure, including passport controls and additional border inspection posts in Calais.
After two years of preparations, often in the absence of any government direction, and the millions of pounds spent on plans that may never be implemented, its parent company Getlink said it was “ready no matter what”.
At the launch of the additions to its 650-hectare (1,606-acre) commercial fortress in Calais, the company said it believed it would be able to guarantee no extra delays on traffic going through the tunnel into the UK.
And it hopes its new infrastructure combined with more staff will mean the mandatory animal health checks needed by the EU can be easily accommodated.
“We do not expect any delays. We are ready. This preparation is for the worst case of no deal so that in that instance the traffic continues to flow through at the same rate as it does now,” said John Keefe, the director of public affairs at Getlink.
Under a £20m no-deal contingency plan implemented by the French government in January, the Eurotunnel site in Calais has been designated the official EU border inspection post for horses and other large animals.
It is part of a jigsaw of checks on the French side of the Channel, with British fish due to being examined in nearby Boulogne and other fresh food a few kilometres away at a third inspection post near Calais port.
At the moment horses can travel freely between the three racing nations of France, Britain and Ireland as long as they have a passport and an intra-trade animal health certificate.
(April 1, 2019) Another round of indicative votes
With Theresa May's deal defeated for a third time, on Monday MPs are expected to spend another day proposing and voting on alternative Brexit solutions.
This will also be the day that parliament debates in Westminster Hall the petition signed by more than 5.8 million people asking for article 50 to be revoked to stop Brexit.
(April 10, 2019) Lengthy extension agreed?
If the UK parliament or government changed tack and backed either a second referendum or a general election was called, then a lengthy article 50 extension would be required. EU leaders would decide how long at a summit on this date.
(April 12, 2019) Possible no deal departure?
If Theresa May's deal is not passed by parliament, then, with no other developments, this would be the date that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
(May 22, 2019) Possible departure with a deal?
If Theresa May's deal does pass parliament, this would be the scheduled date of the UK's departure from the EU.
(May 23, 2019) European parliamentary elections
Unless there is a further longer extension of article 50, the EU27 will vote for a new set of MEPs without the UK participating.
(May 22, 2019) Conservative leadership election?
If Theresa May's deal passes parliament, she is expected to stand down after the UK leaves the EU on 22 March, triggering a contest for the leadership of the Conservative party.
In the event of a no-deal Brexit a newly built border inspection post awaits for all racehorses and bloodstock to be physically checked in at Calais. Stables for queues of up to 20 horses are expected to be completed in the coming days.
The checks will be mandatory to guard against the spread of disease such as the recent outbreak of equine flu, which caused the cancellation of horse races in Britain.
The French authorities have been performing dry runs for customs declarations and on Thursday security staff were out in force stamping specimen customs declarations forms.
As the British government has already said it will not be conducting any checks on goods coming into the UK, these rehearsals remain academic, but part of the meticulous planning in motion for a no-deal Brexit in France.
In the event all runs smoothly in Dover, the key risk for British business is expected to centre on animal and food exports, which will be subject to mandatory controls for disease and pests. This means 100% documentary checks on animals and physical checks for 20% of beef, pork and lamb, and 50% of poultry.
As well as the new infrastructure, Eurotunnel also unveiled “green and orange” routes for entry into France and the EU.
Those requiring checks will be directed on the orange route towards a border control zone involving customs, sanitary and phytosanitary checks featuring nine bays, where a truck can be fully unloaded in secure and temperature-controlled warehousing.
“We have space for 100 trucks to be parked, 50% of our hourly traffic, and that’s way more than the authorities say they need,” said Keefe. “We’ve spent €15m on new buildings, warehousing, e-gates for passport checks, cameras, scanners, roads and signage.”
Thursday was not a typical day for Eurotunnel traffic flow, with a French customs work-to-rule protest causing 23 miles of queues from Calais to the Belgian border.
The work to rule strike has been disrupting traffic for three weeks, causing delays of up to six hours. Tempers were frayed as drivers waited for security checks.
“Brexit will be the death of the UK,” declared one French driver as he waited at the “pit stop”, where 20 heavy goods vehicles at a time were stopped to be checked by dogs straining at their leashes as they sniffed for stowaways.
Although the delays are not related to Brexit, they illustrate the potential impact of disruption and the risk posed by a no-deal scenario if all does not go as smoothly as everyone on the French side of the border intends.
