Businesses exporting goods to the EU falls in 2021

The number of UK businesses exporting goods to the EU fell 33% to 18 357 in 2021 from 27 321 in 2020 according to HMRC statistics.

UHY Hacker Young suggests that the fall is due to the extra red tape UK businesses must now comply with when exporting to the EU.

Michelle Dale senior manager at UHY Hacker Young said: ‘These are really worrying numbers and show the scale of the difficulties UK businesses now face in exporting their products to the EU.

‘Businesses are not getting enough support from the government to navigate the post-Brexit trading minefield. A lot of SMEs cannot afford professional advice to cope with Brexit-related red tape. Many are likely to have decided trading with the EU is not worth the cost.’

She concluded that as a result of fewer UK companies exporting to the EU there will be lost opportunities...