Brexit: UK cheese firm boss in despair over minister's export advice
March 27, 2021, 12:23 pm

Brexit: UK cheese firm boss in despair over minister's export advice

Simon Spurrell: ‘The last three months have been thoroughly unpleasant because of Brexit ... it’s been one of the most stressful periods of my business life.’

Co-founder of Cheshire Cheese Company told by environment minister to look at US and Canada markets rather than EU

The boss of a Cheshire cheese firm has told of his despair over Brexit after an unexpected meeting with the environment minister resulted in advice to look at the US and Canada markets.

Simon Spurrell, the co-founder of the Cheshire Cheese Company, was phoned “out of the blue” for an online meeting with Victoria Prentis after he embarked on a personal crusade involving nearly 100 media interviews in the UK and the EU about his post-Brexit plight.

He says the past three months have been among the worst in his career, with a lucrative EU business brought to a halt because of the extra costs and paperwork caused by a hard Brexit.

Spurrell has been been left with a £250,000 hole in his export trade with Europe but said Prentis told him in a meeting on Tuesday there was nothing she could do to ease the barriers because the extra paperwork, including health certificates for each consignment of cheese, were mandatory under EU rules.

Sales of his £25 to £30 pack of cheeses to individuals were growing and he had planned a £1m warehouse in Macclesfield to fulfil orders.

But under the new rules each parcel needs to be accompanied by a health certificate costing £180, making low-value sales unviable.

The environment minister and her aides suggested he pursue business in “emerging markets” across the Atlantic where different barriers apply but he explained that the delivery costs were prohibitive.

“It was a fairly useless conversation as a whole,” he said.

“We have had a flood of people offering anything from: ‘Come to our town in Lithuania, Poland, France, Hungary, we’ll help you set up, we’ve got the resources,’ to British in the EU saying: ‘We’ve got a lock-up you can store your cheese here if you want,” said Spurrell.

“They think there’s an opportunity to get employment in their town, but that’s exactly what the British government should be doing.”.

Back home, he has been offered help from the Department for International Trade with “emerging markets” but says what he wanted was help with salvaging his EU business.

Data released on Monday showed a dramatic collapse of exports of whisky, cheese and chocolate to the EU in January.

A spokesperson for Defra said Spurrell’s reflection of the meeting was different to theirs and while the minister was unable to help him on the health certificate requirements, she “highlighted our desire to help the Cheshire Cheese Company where possible”.

The department also committed to sending him “further information on possible trading solutions – including on groupage , which some dairy businesses are using to export products successfully”.

But Spurrell said while they were trying to help he saw no way of salvaging his consumer sales business in the EU.

“The last three months have been thoroughly unpleasant because of Brexit. It’s been terrible, it’s been one of the most stressful periods of my business life,” he said.

“During the meeting, we were offered the full support of the government via the DIT and trade initiatives with Liz Truss . This was to help us to access the new emerging markets for the new trade deals being negotiated. This as it stands is our only positive way forwards, to help us replace the lost revenue from the EU market.”

His story is emblematic of the experience of many small businesses hit by extra paperwork.

He said he was prepared for barriers on EU sales to his wholesale business but there had been no warning there would be no exemption for direct consumer sales as there is in the US and Canada.

“This came as an almighty shock, like a rear-end hit in car accident because I wasn’t expecting it,” he said.

Asked if there was any chance of an exemption in the post-Brexit rules in the consumer business in the UK, he said Prentis replied: “None.”

“I explained that my fundamental fear is that the large expense of setting up a mirrored operation , could all be for nothing with the increasingly hostile environments between the two sides.”

One option was to send truckloads of cheese to France or another EU country and fulfil orders from there.

But he has decided against that “because even the paperwork for wholesale shipment of goods is so onerous that it will be a full-time job for the EU exports side of the business, adding even more costs”.

source: Lisa O'Carroll

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.