If Brexit was a small Child…
Brexit is five months old and if Brexit was a child, it would be settled into a routine of sleeping and feeding, enjoying the odd game of “peek-a-boo” — delighting at the element of surprise and sharing the giggles with all around. Sadly, the reality of Brexit is nothing like that and although it might appear to be sleeping, there is still a lot going.
Over the coming nine months, there are some important dates and milestones to note. July 21st 2021 was to be one of those, but the deadline has been extended to the 1st January 2022. So while we’re free of the pitfalls that might occur with the transition to full UK Customs Procedures, we’re not totally free — we’ve just got a little more time to prepare.
Listed below are some of the key dates and changes on the horizon:
- At the moment, 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 (from July 2021).
- Safety and Security Declarations for imports will not be required until 1 January 2022.
- 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.
- Physical sanitary and phytosanitary (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 changes on the way will impact businesses in different ways, and although some will be unaffected directly, the ripple effect will be felt far and wide. The question is, how prepared are you?
Going back to the thought of Brexit being a five-month-old child, you’d start to plan for the crawling stage, buying those cupboard locks, sealing up the plugs, moving things off the floor and daring to dream about nights and nights of undisturbed sleep. Alas, it’s not a child. Your response to the changes coming your way needs planning and preparation.
We’re here to help. Just let us know how.
