Brexit hits 'almost every Scottish manufacturing and engineering exporter' | Hauliers criticise Westminster denial

Mr Sheerin said: "Unfortunately, that just reflects the companies that are manufacturing who don't export at all.

"Which suggests that almost every exporter in the manufacturing and engineering space is suffering detriment as a result of the end of the transition period and the new processes that we have."

Mr Sheerin added that 45% of the 100 respondents to the survey said they had suffered detriment due to the availability of logistics, while 50% said they were being hit by the increased costs of haulage.

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He added: "One of the comments that we've got is from a company who said they've had a 10-fold increase in their administrative costs associated with the logistics process post-Brexit."

Also appearing before the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee at Holyrood, Martin Reid, the Scotland and Northern Ireland director for the Road Haulage Association, said its members had been forced to recruit and train administrative staff due to a lack of qualified customs officers able to help exports move swiftly.

Following the end of the transition period with the EU on December 31, lorries queued for miles at ports due to customs problems.

The UK Government has been criticised for denying lorries are being held up, despite the evidence.

Mr Reid told the committee: "There's a lack of qualified customs agents, something that the Government deny.

"But we have seen that is definitely the case, so hauliers are now having to become their own customs clerks.

"They're having to take on admin people, train them up on systems that are still in their infancy and that we're still learning in order to deal with the additional paperwork that's required.

"Nobody is saying that it's an easy time for the Government but it's not an easy time for anyone in this current environment."

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Picture: Stena Drilling

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