Price hikes are expected as a significant change to how plants are imported comes into effect today.

All plants being brought into the UK will now need to do so via a Border Control Post (BCP), the latest stage of the government’s Border Target Operating Model.

The BCPs will be replacing the Place of Destination (PoD) system which has been in place for the last three years, despite it initially being a temporary six-month solution.

Before 30 April, nurseries and landscaping sites could apply to become a PoD to have plants delivered directly to site and inspected there. This system will now cease to operate and all lorries selected for inspection will need to report to a BCP or a Control Point, an inland inspection facility.

All lorries passing through the government’s new £147m Border Control Post at Sevington near Dover – and all government run BCPs, should more be built in the future – will need to pay a Common User Charge (CUC) to cover the cost of unloading and reloading the lorries.

The CUC was recently revealed to be £29 per commodity line for all medium and high-risk goods, with a maximum charge of £145. This is on top of plant health inspection fees and covering the cost of any delays at the border.

The change is expected to cause plant prices to rise, as well impacting plant availability and causing potential delays to orders.