As a haulier or fleet manager in the UK who operates internationally, it’s imperative to remain abreast of all the latest regulations involved with importing and exporting goods to the EU.
Why? Because it’s key to avoiding delays, potential fines and disruptions to your operations.
Speaking of which, we’re now in May of 2024, and the government’s new changes to the border control scheduled for the end of April have come into force. If you’re looking for guidance in this area, you’re in the right place, as this article talks about these changes.
The Second Phase of the BTOM Border Control Changes
As part of the second phase of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) rule changes, a full set of sanitary and phytosanitary checks of goods coming into the European Union (EU) now apply. As such, identify, documentary and physical checks are required for imported plant products, plants and medium-risk animal products.
Prior to the change, checks on eligible products were conducted at the goods’ destination, but have now moved to border control points and control posts.
A Charge of Up to £145 May Apply
High-risk food and non-animal origin feed from the EU will also be checked at UK border control posts, and a new ‘common user charge’ has been introduced that applies to any animal or plant products that come into the UK via the Eurotunnel or Port of Dover.
The charge for importing phytosanitary or sanitary checked products in this way, may be as much as £145, dependent on the quantity and risk category involved. This cost needs to be accounted for when bringing in these types of goods via this route.
Warnings of Delays in Implementation ‘Incorrect’
There had been some press reports that suggested that this phase of BTOM changes would be delayed. For instance, the Financial Times reported earlier in the month that the government had informed UK port authorities that its health and safety checks on EU imports would not all be ‘turned on’ at once on 30 April 2024 because of the potential for significant disruption.
This risk was said to be related to commodity codes and the fact that they could cause problems if activated on day one. However, the government has said it will overcome these potential issues by setting all commodity groups to ‘zero’ initially and then progressively activating different groups as part of a phased approach.
Concern Over Implementation
According to a blog post from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, it is stated that the government has full confidence that the systems and infrastructure are ready for border checks to be completed. That said, the committee chair, Sir Robert Goodwill (Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby), is concerned about the series of delays that have already occurred to the implementation of border checks, as well as their “inconsistent messaging and last-minute announcements”.
Keeping the Country Moving With Industry-Leading HGV Training
It would seem that there will be much scrutiny over the coming days with regard to how smoothly the new changes in UK border check rules are introduced and the impact they have on international hauliers. The next (and third) phase of the BTOM is planned for the 31st of October 2024, which is set to introduce safety and security declarations for imports into Great Britain from the EU.
In the meantime, the Insite team will carry on doing what it does best – providing industry-leading HGV training across our national network of training centres. To find out more about what we do, take a look around our website. Alternatively, to speak to us directly about your requirements, just call 0330 818 8888 or click ‘contact us’, and we’ll be happy to help however we can.
