A note sent to trade groups last week from the Border Delivery Group confirmed that the UK “is not seeking a waiver in relation to Safety and Security declarations as part of the FTA negotiation” and would be subjecting all goods to declarations “in line with the rest of the world”.

The decision came as a blow to trade groups whose hopes for a pragmatic approach had been raised following the publication of the Government’s negotiation mandate, which had acknowledged the “practical constraints of ‘roll-on roll-off’ trade”.

The UK Chamber of Shipping and the British Ports Association are now writing to Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, to urge the Government to seek a waiver for “safety and security declarations” at the border, The Telegraph understands.

Both the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association warned that the decision not to seek waivers for the declarations would place a huge burden on the Dover-Calais “short straits” crossing that handles an average of 10,000 trucks a day.

The Government’s decision leaves hauliers legally liable for completing the security declaration for each and every consignment – both for import and export – leading to a ballooning in costs and paperwork.

Industry sources said that each declaration would cost £15, with some mixed-load containers typically containing “hundreds” of packages – each requiring a safety declaration.

The declarations are required over and above customs forms, which will also need to be submitted after Brexit along with additional paperwork, such as veterinary and technical certificates to cover compliance with any food hygiene or EU chemical regulations.

HMRC has estimated an additional 220m customs declarations will be required after Brexit, now with an additional 220m safety and security declarations – more if they are completed separately from customs paperwork.

For goods leaving the UK, some 29 mandatory fields must be completed, with 41 fields for goods entering the country.