Introduction of Further Border Controls Delayed
Posted on 11th May 2022 at 15:59
The much-anticipated introduction of additional border controls, originally scheduled for July 2022 and including physical checks on goods and requirement for further health certification, have now been delayed once again. This much rumoured push-back comes as Port Health and border teams have received considerable investment specifically for this development in controls, but now face a delay to as late as the end of 2023.
All this means that, for EU-UK imports, we remain with existing guidelines and certification rules in place until a new plan is announced by DEFRA in autumn 2022. These rules remain as follows. Please click here to read more in our earlier blog update.
Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) system remains in place for key ports, such as Dover, requiring prelodged customs entries submitted by agents in advance of goods loading onto the ferry.
Imports of high risk goods remain under further restrictions, requiring prenotification to Port Health and official authorities.
The additional checks anticipated for launch in July 2022 included physical Sanitary and Phytosanitary Checks of EU imports at Border Control Posts (BCPs), additional health certification and safety and security declarations for goods from the EU. These are all now postponed until a reviewed plan is clarified in the autumn of next year – such changes will affect the imports of a high proportion of commodities into the UK from Europe.
The government has justified the delay through the expectation of additional retail costs of food products if these additional rules are introduced. With the cost of living crisis we are currently experiencing, this has been seen as a further big jump in costs, though ‘avoidable’.
However, ports have spent millions of pounds preparing for the introduction of BCPs to allow physical checks on food and animals, which are now at risk of laying dormant for a considerable amount of time. It remains to be seen what will happen to this key infrastructure.
Boast International’s EU specialists remain on hand to guide you through the existing rules, and are available should you require any further clarification on this further delay to controls. Please get in touch to see how we can help ease the stress of importing from Europe to the UK.
Keep your eyes peeled for more blogs and updates relating to imports and exports between Europe and the rest of the world very soon!
Tagged as: Potential Impacts to Your Supply Chain
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