The UK Government has published its long-awaited draft plan for introducing remaining UK food import controls on goods entering Britain from the EU.
The Border Target Operating Model (TOM) published today (5 April), sets out a plan to realise the ambition laid out in the 2025 Border Strategy, to create the most effective border in the world.
The key aim of the TOM is to reduce post-Brexit checks on goods entering the UK from the EU.
The Border Operating Model 2025
SPS Checks for Food Importers
The TOM also includes a shift to a more targeted, risk-based system for checks, “underpinned by evidence and data”. After a period of consultation on the draft, the model will be released across three milestones; between 31st October 2023, 31st January 2024 & 31st October 2024.
The new approach applies to security controls for all imports, and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls for imports of live animals, germinal products, animal products, plants and plant products. It sets out how controls will be delivered through simplifications, digitalisation and the UK’s new Single Trade Window.
The SPS Trusted Trader Scheme
Trusted Trader schemes will be introduced to further reduce checks on goods shipped by frequent importers and there are plans to undertake checks further away from the border to relieve the pressures and delays at ports.
Single Trade Window & Digitalisation
A Single Trade Window (“STW”) allows traders to register documents, such as bills of lading and invoices, once only, leaving all agencies with access, removing the need for dealing with multiple parties across the world.
The government has pledged £180 million to build a UK Single Trade Window that will minimise the cost of trade by reducing trader interactions with border agencies. The STW will be implemented from 31st October 2024.
What’s changed for UK SPS Controls?
A Risk-Based Approach to Checks
UK imports of POAO, HRFNAO, Plant, Phytosanitary, ABP and other controlled products will be controlled through a ‘risk-based’ approach at the UK Border.The categorisation will be based on the commodity & the country of origin
The indicative form of these categories, subject to completion of risk assessments,
will be:
- High risk: live animals, live aquatic animals and germinal products (with published exceptions for animals with additional safeguards or assurances or which present a lower risk) and commodities covered under safeguard measures.
- Medium risk: raw, chilled, frozen meat, meat products, dairy, animal by-products for use in animal feed, fishery products and aquatic animals imported as products of animal origin.
- Low risk: processed, shelf-stable products such as composites and certain canned meat products, processed animal by-products and certain fishery products and aquatic animal products from lower risk countries.
Controls that will be applied to products based on their
risk categorisation.
Digital Health Certificates
Digitisation of certificates allows data to be cloned from the official certificates produced in the exporting countries IT system (such as TRACES in the EU), with direct input into the UK’s Import Control System.
Certificates will be automatically made available to GB systems when uploaded by the official veterinarian or official in the exporting country.
The rollout of digitised certification relies on take up and agreements with UK trading partners. Digitised certification for imports of plant and plant products are expected from May 2023, and animal products from EU Member States that use the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) from October 2024.
Stay up-to-date
Falsum, which was involved in extensive consultation with the government in the development of the new model, will publish further articles in the coming weeks and months and will update traders on key points from the model.
Falsum will be reaching out to Traders to collect your views and opinions on the draft model as part of our ongoing conversations with the government.
