Category: Customs

Food exporters highlight one of Brexit’s biggest impacts

This stunning article from The Grocer highlights the massive impact that the post-Brexit free trade agreement has had on one of our most vital business sectors. Food exporters have spent a total of 58 years filling out export health certificates so far this year as a result of the new post-Bre... Read more

Many UK exporters continuing to struggle with European trade post Brexit

Despite the UK economy edging 0.4% higher in February, helped by a partial rebound in trade with the EU as exporters learnt to deal with new Brexit border restrictions, many more are having to dramatically change their business model, or have simply stopped exporting to the bloc. In ... Read more

EU reduce ‘red-tape’ but food exporters face new barriers

The EU is to drop ‘Meursing codes’ from import declarations for manufactured food products coming from the UK in a major reduction of post-Brexit red tape, but new EU legislation covering multi-ingredient food products is expected to increase UK export health certificates by up to 3... Read more

UK Government extend EU import control easements

Michael Gove informed parliament last week that the introduction of stricter EU import controls, in line with Phases 2 and 3 of the government’s Border Operating Model, are to be delayed by at least six months. The minister for the Cabinet Office insisted that the go... Read more

The freeport effect – what does it mean and what are the benefits

There’s much more to the UK’s freeports than the ability to move goods tariff-free, with businesses potentially enjoying domestic tax breaks and cheaper employee costs, to encourage manufacturing, jobs and investment, in areas that would otherwise struggle to attract them. In his Budget la... Read more

Brexit simplification offers VAT cashflow benefits not only for EU shipments but also for non-EU shipments

Postponed VAT Accounting (PVA) was devised ahead of Brexit, to avoid the negative cash flow impact of an additional VAT bill at the EU/UK border. Since 1st January 2021, businesses registered for VAT that import goods into the UK from anywhere in the world - and not just the EU -  can use... Read more

GVMS, the UK’s border IT system with the EU

Technology is the solution to the efficient movement of goods between Great Britain and the EU, and the mainland with Northern Ireland in the post-Brexit transition world. Live for GB/NI trade since the 1st January 2021, the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) is a critical border tool parti... Read more

Post-Brexit update ; Trading with the EU – import and export advice

Since the 1st January 2021, all European Union members are now a third country entity, which means the way you ship goods between the EU and UK has changed. Under the new rules, UK firms doing business with the EU face new processes, paperwork and checks, as we have been advising on a daily ba... Read more

EU border disruption impacting trailer availability

Problems finding import trailers from the EU is being blamed on the slowdown in exports from the UK, which are currently 30% below normal levels, but with continuing delays at the border, the more likely issue is it is less financially or operationally attractive for European hauliers to send the... Read more

Brexit update; Cross border EU traffic threatened

Increasing numbers of exporters are struggling to acquire critical transit documents, which allow goods to cross borders within the European Union, because of delays at issuing offices and difficulties obtaining or increasing transit guarantees. The Common Transit Convention (CTC) allows truck... Read more

New EU origin rules catching shippers out – if it isn’t manufactured in UK/EU duty is possibly applicable!

All goods with a UK or EU origin require an appropriate declaration of origin to benefit from preferential tariff rates and failure to provide this proof of origin could leave the importer liable for duty and - under some circumstances - the EU may even impose duty twice on the same goods. The... Read more

The lull before the storm ends – European Overland and Customs Update Week 2

While reports of free-flowing freight traffic at Dover may suggest everything is hunky-dory in the nation’s supply chain, after the end of transition, the reality is that there are problems, delays and disruption, it’s just taking place elsewhere and disruption is imminent.  Dover’s... Read more