The UK Government has announced a revised timetable for the introduction of future customs controls. Essentially a 6 month extension has been granted so that traders have additional time to familiarise themselves with the new regimes before further controls come into play. In a statement from the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove cites reasons behind the extension being namely the disruption of Covid-19 and the calls from the business community for additional preparation time.
The revised timetable for the introduction of controls are as follows:
- Pre-notification requirements for Products of Animal Origin (POAO), certain animal by-products (ABP), and High Risk Food Not Of Animal Origin (HRFNAO) will not be required until 1 October 2021. Export Health Certificate requirements for POAO and certain ABP will come into force on the same date.
- Customs import declarations will still be required, but the option to use the deferred declaration scheme, including submitting supplementary declarations up to six months after the goods have been imported, has been extended to 1 January 2022.
- Safety and Security Declarations for imports will not be required until 1 January 2022.
- Physical SPS checks for POAO, certain ABP, and HRFNAO will not be required until 1 January 2022. At that point they will take place at Border Control Posts.
- Physical SPS checks on high risk plants will take place at Border Control Posts, rather than at the place of destination as now, from 1 January 2022.
- Pre-notification requirements and documentary checks, including phytosanitary certificates will be required for low risk plants and plant products, and will be introduced from 1 January 2022.
- From March 2022, checks at Border Control Posts will take place on live animals and low risk plants and plant products.
The above does not take into consideration imports of controlled goods into GB, these will continue to require full customs declarations at time of shipment.
We anticipate a new Border Operating Model reflecting this revised timetable becoming available soon, once it is it’ll be posted in our document library.