In the four weeks that have passed since the UK and EU agreed a Brexit trade deal, businesses across Europe have experienced the full impact of their new relationship.

Companies that export goods to the UK have been hampered by extra paperwork, delays at borders and poor communication between countries, customs and companies.

Groumm, a food technology digital platform based in Sicily that links farmers to consumers, is an example of one business that has been badly affected by the trade deal.

The company arranged a delivery of fruit and vegetables from Sicily to the Italian food store Il Fruttivendolo in Linlithgow, Glasgow, on the very day Brexit was approved by the UK Parliament on December 30, 2020.

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The pallet, which was transported via a truck, was scheduled to arrive in Glasgow on January 3 and arrived in Como, near the Italian-Swiss border, on New Year's Eve. 

However, after a host of Brexit-inflicted delays, the pallet took until January 19 to reach its end destination, by which point most of the products were rotten, much to the dismay of both the buyer and the seller. 

Sebastiano Amenta, founder and CEO of Groumm, explained to CGTN Europe exactly why the delivery was delayed and his fears about the logistics of exporting goods in future.

"I am really concerned about how Brexit is impacting exporters," he said. "I sent around 10 official documents in order to gain customs clearance before shipment. However, our UK logistics counterpart began asking for further documentation as UK customs were asking for more paperwork. There was definitely a lack of coordination. 

"We sent everything that was asked of us but even then we were later told that one normally standard document was not accepted."

"When the UK agency also stopped answering our emails we decided that we should halt proceedings and recall our goods. However, to our surprise, we found out that our shipment had already left Italy. By the time it arrived in Scotland, almost three weeks on, the fresh fruit and vegetable had been exposed to harsh weather conditions, several exchanges and the effects of transportation."

Groumm had to pay Il Fruttivendolo to dispose of the products and packaging. The value of the goods alone is estimated to be around $1,200, while the cost of shipping was $600. Thankfully an agreement was reached to limit the expenses.

Amenta is adamant the fault lies with the UK logistics company that "suddenly stopped communicating" with him and his team but says he was fortunate the incident didn't result in long-term consequences for his business.  

He added: "Luckily we have not lost a client and we have already shipped more of our lovely Sicilian products to the UK since."

Video editor: James Sandifer.  Video producer: Simon Ormiston