The Brexit stakes are high for Chayenne Wiskerke, who owns and manages an onion packing and exporting firm in Kruiningen, near the Netherlands' border with Belgium. Wiskerke Onions, a fourth-generation family business, says it packs an eye-watering 185,000 tonnes of onions a year and ships them to more than 100 countries. A whole 20 per cent of production, though, is destined for the United Kingdom. But what will happen as the U.K. moves to leave the European Union, particularly if there is no deal for the divorce by the March 29 deadline? Wiskerke worries about her company's trucks being stopped at the border for inspection, leading to delays for supermarkets that can't stockpile fresh produce. "That's the most difficult thing — you don't know how to prepare," Wiskerke said.

As is happening in the U.K., politicians and executives in the Netherlands are working to alleviate the economic fears that could haunt businesses such as Wiskerke Onions while Britain's uncertain political future sends shockwaves to continental Europe.

The Dutch government says it's been in talks with 250 foreign firms considering moving or expanding operations into the Netherlands in the wake of Brexit. At least 42 made the move in 2018, according to figures recently published by a Dutch foreign investment organization. The European Medicines Agency is in the process of relocating from London to Amsterdam. Electronics giants Sony and Panasonic have announced plans to move their European hubs from Britain to the Netherlands.

Not a good outlook

But the outlook overall is hardly positive, even for this country. While some Dutch entrepreneurs see it as a business opportunity, government officials here use stark language to warn of domestic economic trouble as a result of Britain's EU breakup. Trade with the U.K. accounted for $43 billion US of the Netherlands' exports in 2017, according to World Bank data.

The uncertainty is also affecting operations for British firms looking beyond March 29, and prompting them to take action on the continent.

In a conference room in the suburban Dutch city of Breda on a recent morning, Brian McKenzie handed over his British passport to a notary to be photocopied. Both of them signed paperwork.

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What may have seemed like a mundane interaction highlighted both the fears and business opportunities Brexit represents in the Netherlands, a top trading partner for Britain.

McKenzie acts as chief operating officer for Process Systems Enterprise (PSE), a London-based tech firm developing tools and services for petrochemical companies such as Shell and pharmaceutical giants like GlaxoSmithKline. His recent visit to the Dutch notary's office was a step in the process to legally set up a European mainland subsidiary for PSE — a plan to avoid disruptions caused by Brexit. "It feels like we're moving away from where our roots are," McKenzie said later. "But it's a necessity."

Gateway to the mainland

McKenzie said other British companies seeking international contracts or staff would plan to keep a foothold in an EU member state such as the Netherlands. "I don't think there's a business in the U.K. that's not considering it," he said.

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