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New British border rules for 2024

Introduction

The British government has announced phased changes to border regulations and procedures that will come into effect during 2024. This is particularly of interest for our clients who are or represent importers of Plants, Animals, Food & Feed System (IPAFFS).

If you are an Importer of Plants, Animals, Food & Feed System (IPAFFS), we would like to inform you that the UK Government has published a new Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), setting out new controls to create a world-class border system based on smarter use of data and technology. If you are an IPAFFS user, this new model is highly likely to mean a change in process to the way that your goods are imported into Great Britain. The model has been developed in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh Governments to implement a coherent approach. Link to the BTOM (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-border-target-operating-model-august-2023)

New phases of the border TOM Implementation: 

31 January 2024 -   

  • Export health certificates and phytosanitary certificates are introduced for medium risk animal products, plants and plant products imported to Great Britain from the EU & EFTA countries including Irish goods, as well as non-qualifying Northern Ireland goods. 
  • Introduction of pre-notification for non-qualifying Northern Ireland and Ireland origin animal products, plant and plant products. 

 30 April 2024

  • Documentary checks and physical and identity checks at the border are introduced for medium risk animal products, plant and plant products imported to Great Britain from the EU & EFTA countries (excluding those goods being imported from the Republic of Ireland).   
  • Existing inspections of high-risk plants/plant products from the EU will move from destination to Border Control Posts.  
  • We will also begin to simplify imports from non-EU countries. This will include the removal of health certification and routine checks on low-risk animal products, plants, plant products from non-EU countries as well as reduction in physical and identity check levels on medium-risk animal products from non-EU countries. Pre-notification will no longer be required for low-risk plants and plant products. 

31 October 2024

  • Safety and Security declarations for EU imports will come into force.   
  • A reduced dataset introduced for imports and use of the UK Single Trade Window will remove duplication where possible across different pre-arrival datasets – such as Safety and Security, and pre-lodged customs declarations. 

From 31 October 2024

  • The introduction of documentary and risk-based identity and physical checks on medium risk animal products, plants, plant products and high-risk food and feed of non-animal origin from the EU on the west coast of Great Britain. (The date for the commencement of physical checks for non-qualifying goods moving from the island of Ireland will be confirmed in Autumn 2023.) 

For non-EU animals and animal products, the risk categorisation is available here: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/risk-categories-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-from-non-eu-countries-to-great-britain

The Border Target Operating Model (TOM) risk categorisation for plants and plant products from the European Union (EU). Further risk categorisation for goods from the Rest of the World, will be published in due course. The risk categories for EU goods are as follows:

TOM High Risk

Group

Legislative Term

Country of origin

Plants for planting

Plants for planting, other than seeds 

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Tubers of

Solanum tuberosum intended for planting (Seed potatoes)

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Solanum tuberosum (ware potatoes)

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Seeds of

Castanea 

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Capsicum spp.

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Solanum lycopersicum

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Solanum tuberosum (true potato seed)

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Helianthus annuus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Medicago sativa

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Allium cepa

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Allium porrum

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Phaseolus cocineus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Phaseolus vulgaris

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Pisum sativum*

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Vicia faba*

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Brassica napus*

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Brassica rapa *

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Sinapis alba*

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Glycine max*

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Linum usitatissimum*

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Pinus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Pseudotsuga menziesii

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Parts of Plants, other than fruits and seeds**

Conifers (Pinales) over 3m

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Bark of

Castanea

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Conifers (Pinales) 

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Fraxinus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Juglans mandshurica 

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Juglans ailantifolia

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Ulmus davidiana 

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Pterocarya

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Wood (including wood which has not kept it’s natural round surface) of

Acer

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

 

Aesculus 

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Alnus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Betula

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

 Carpinus

EU Member States (excluding Spain and Portugal), Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Conifers (Pinales) excluding wood which is bark free

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Conifers

Spain and Portugal

Cercidiphyllum

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Corylus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Fagus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Fraxinus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Koelreuteria

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Conifers (Pinales)

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Platanus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Populus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Prunus  with the exception of Prunus laurocerasus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Salix

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Tilia

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Ulmus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Wood of

Juglans

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Pterocarya

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Wood (excluding wood which is bark-free) of

Castanea excluding wood which is bark-free 

 EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Used Machinery

Machinery and vehicles which have been operated for agricultural or forestry purposes

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

TOM Medium Risk

 

Group

Legislative Term

Country of origin

Parts of Plants, other than fruits and seeds**

Cryptocoryne

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Hygrophila

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Vallisneria

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Prunus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Solanum lycopersicum 

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Solanum melongena

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Zea mays

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Conifers (Pinales) under 3m

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Cut Flowers

Orchidaceae

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Dendranthema

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Dianthus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Gypsophila

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Solidago

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Seeds

Prunus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Rubus

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Zea mays

EU Member States, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

TOM Low Risk***

Group

Any plants or plant products from the EU not mentioned in or excluded from the high or medium risk categories, are low-risk. Further risk assessments is ongoing and any changes to these TOM risk categories from the EU will not take place before April 2024 and we will communicate with traders, well in advance of any changes to commodity categorisation.

* Seed will only require a phytosanitary certificate if the seed is certified vegetable seed and standard seed of vegetables in the case of P.sativum and V.faba and certified seed for oil or fibre production in the case of B.napus, B.rapa, S.alba, G.max and L.usitatisimum

** ‘plants’ means living plants and the following living parts of plants: (a) seeds, in the botanical sense, other than those not intended for planting; (b) fruits, in the botanical sense; (c) vegetables; (d) tubers, corms, bulbs, rhizomes, roots, rootstocks, stolons; (e) shoots, stems, runners; (f) cut flowers; (g) branches with or without foliage; (h) cut trees retaining foliage; (i) leaves, foliage; (j) plant tissue cultures, including cell cultures, germplasm, meristems, chimaeric clones, micro-propagated material; (k) live pollen and spores; (l) buds, budwood, cuttings, scions, grafts

*** some goods in the low-risk section are still pending further risk assessment

 

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