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Here's one reason: food.

What foods do we import from Europe?

The UK imports many common food products from European countries:

Fruit and vegetables

Around 90 percent of the UK’s salad leaves in autumn and winter are produced in south-east Spain.

Britain also imports more than £400million of fresh tomatoes each year, mostly from the Netherlands.

Peppers and cucumbers also arrive in Dover from continental Europe.

And some exotic citrus fruits, such as lemons, can be bought in UK supermarkets thanks to growers in Europe.

Frozen potatoes, such as chips, are 99 percent imported from the EU, from the Netherlands and Belgium.

Dairy products

A host of popular cheeses, including mozzarella, brie, feta and halloumi come from countries in Europe.

In 2016, 96,449 tonnes of cheddar was imported into the UK, with 91,866 of that originating in Europe.

Meat

Denmark is the top exporter of bacon and ham to the UK, and the Netherlands, Germany and Italy also import a lot of pork products.

Meat is also largely exported from the UK, especially British lamb with 98 percent being imported to EU countries overseas.

Quick edit: Quick google says 11.53% of NZ food is imported. 50%ish of UK food is. NZ food is probably not coming in on (tens of?) thousands of lories each day being driven by real people who continue on their way to warehouses all across the country.