HorseSport.com - Full Article
A $665 surcharge per horse catches the industry by surprise as Brexit takes effect and threatens to affect equestrian traffic both ways.
By: Pippa Cuckson | January 12, 2021
International riders in the UK are reeling at an unexpected consequence of Brexit ‒ a drastic price hike in Eurotunnel tickets for horses.
The Eurotunnel, also known as the Channel Tunnel or Chunnel, is a 50.45-km railway tunnel that runs beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover and is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and the European mainland.
Since January 1 the French-owned tunnel operator has imposed, without notice, a one-way £385 ($665 CAD) surcharge per horse, on top of the £400 ticket for the vehicle.
Last year was a transitory stage before the UK’s total withdrawal from the European Union, during which DEFRA ‒ the UK’s food and agriculture agency ‒ did an enormous amount of work to prepare horse transporters for the new documentation required by both their animals and vehicles at border control. However, many have been caught by surprise by Eurotunnel’s decision.
Henry Bullen, director of global transportation company Peden, understood the price increase was blamed on the cost of building a new inspection facility near the port at Calais. He hoped it would be swiftly reviewed...
