Post-Brexit checks on fruit and vegetables brought from the EU into Britain have been delayed for a third time to allow the government to better understand the impact it will have on businesses.

While checks on some fruit and veg, including celery and tomatoes, were meant to be rolled out from 1 January, the government has said this will be delayed by a further six months to 1 July, The Guardian reported.

It marks the next step in the government’s Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), which deems certain products low, medium or high risk, and require different levels of checks to prevent the import of diseases.

The government has said that fruit and veg importers will be given an easement period for products deemed medium risk until the later date and will not be subject to checks or associated fees until then.

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Meanwhile, fruit products such as apples and pears, which were previously categorised as medium risk are now low risk and will be able to be exported with no checks or charges.

As the checks were first meant to be introduced by the end of next month (October 2024), the latest decision marks the third setback in the past 12 months.

It comes as suppliers have expressed concerns over the potential for higher prices for consumers, as according to the Fresh Produce Consortium, the checks could lead to an additional £200m in import costs.

On 30 April, checks on plant and animal product imports to the UK were finally introduced, however, this came after five previous delays as the BTOM was first scheduled to be introduced in July 2021.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told The Guardian: “This easement is a temporary measure to ensure that new ministers have a full and thorough opportunity to review the planned implementation of further border controls, and an opportunity to listen to businesses across import supply chains.”