Three and a bit years after Brexit, are border checks finally here?

The EU brought in customs checks for goods exported from the UK as soon as we left the single market. Photograph: Sean Smith/Guardian

When Michael Gove announced the first delay to post-Brexit checks on plant and animal products coming into the UK from the EU, he was keen to make one thing clear.

“Although we recognise that many in the border industry and many businesses have been investing time and energy to be ready on time, and indeed we in government were confident of being ready on time,” the then minister for the Cabinet Office said, “we have listened to businesses who have made a strong case that they need more time to prepare.”