Freight framework appoints firms for post-Brexit critical haulage

Eight firms have been appointed to the freight procurement framework and will now be able to bid to bring critical goods like vital medicines into the UK after Brexit on 31 October.

The eight companies signed up to the framework include ferry operators, Brittany Ferries, DFDS A/S, Irish Ferries, P&O Ferries, Seatruck and Stena, as well as operators from the aviation and rail industries Air Charter Services and Eurotunnel.

Operators that have joined the framework will now be able to bid for freight capacity contracts for Brexit and beyond, as and when they are needed over a four year period.

To support the flow of lifesaving medicines into the UK, the competitions will focus on ports and terminals away from areas forecast as most likely for potential disruption, should it occur. Therefore the freight terminals of Dover, Calais, Dunkirk, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Folkestone, Coquelles, and Barking are not included. The risk and impact of disruption at these ports and terminals caused by a potential lack of trader readiness could affect the flow of vital goods.

By choosing ports and terminals that have the least likelihood of disruption, the government is working in the interest of both operators and the wider public.