The powerful Commons Public Account Committee say Ministers are still not planning for the major "levels of disruption or interruption to trade that may be faced" next March And they add they are being "hampered by excessive secrecy at the centre of government."
And they take aim at Michael Gove's Environment department for being "too complacent" and failing to properly prepare for the "enormous challenges in the lead-up to EU Exit".
A withering report from the committee adds: "fundamental issues for food, chemical and animal importers and exporters" that have not been tackled with time running out.
PAC boss Meg Hillier hit out: “In the continued uncertainty about the UK’s future relationship with the EU, Defra’s civil servants must prepare for multiple and in some cases ill-defined scenarios.
“Anyone working in the dark is prone to stumble but in Defra’s case I am concerned that the Department has lost sight of its priorities.
“The risks associated with ‘no-deal’ in particular are severe, and it is alarming how little specific information Defra has provided to enable individual businesses and organisations to prepare.
“Brexit border planning is not sufficiently developed, six critical IT systems are still to be tested and there is a risk that in the Department’s rush to prepare necessary legislation, the quality of that legislation will suffer.”
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