On 27^th January, the House of Lords Library published a research briefing on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

The bill will automatically revoke, or ‘sunset’, most retained EU law at the end of 2023. However, it will also give ministers powers to exempt some retained EU law from the sunset and to restate, reproduce, replace or update retained EU law by statutory instrument.

Concerns have been raised about the amount of retained EU law to be reviewed before the sunset deadline and whether some may end up being revoked inadvertently. MPs and others have also expressed concerns about the impact of large-scale and rapid changes to the statute book because of the bill and have highlighted a lack of clarity about what retained EU law the government intends to keep, particularly in the areas of employment, environmental and consumer protections. They have also been critical of a lack of parliamentary scrutiny of and input into the process of reforming retained EU law. However, the only amendments made to the bill in the House of Commons were government amendments to clarify the bill’s drafting.

The publication of this research briefing came ahead of the bill’s second reading in the House of Lords on 6th February, where members discussed the main issues in the Bill and drew attention to specific areas where they think amendments will be needed.

You can keep track of the bills progress through the various stages here

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have announced they are looking to expand their project looking at misleading ‘green’ claims to now include Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).

The review will examine the accuracy of environmental claims featuring on a wide range of essential products purchased on a daily basis including food and drink. It will cover both online and in store purchases and take into consideration compliance UK consumer protection law.

Should evidence of unfounded claims be identified, the CMA will consider taking enforcement action using its formal powers.

You can read more here

Defra and APHA have recently published an updated list of UK border control posts (BCPs) for animal and animal product imports.

Most consignments of animals, animal products and products of non-animal origin from non-EU countries must come through a Border Control Post (BCP), previously known as a Border Inspection Post (BIP).

You must:

• tell the BCP about your consignment in advance – if you don’t, you may be charged an additional fee or your checks could take longer.
• make sure the BCP you’re using is designated to check your shipment’s commodity.

You can use the list to check you’re using the right BCP, and to find its contact details.

The list includes:

• live animal BCPs
• animal products BCPs
• products of non-animal origin BCPs

Global insight provider IGD has identified six trends set to influence the global retail landscape in 2023.

With inflation driving a significant increase in production costs and retail prices across most major markets, IGD predict there will be an intense focus from retailers and suppliers on driving out costs, improving the efficiency of supply chains and delivering value to consumers in new ways over the next 12 months.

Toby Pickard, Global Insight Leader at IGD, said: “While many of these initiatives from businesses have been reactionary, they are helping retailers to reset the cost base and develop go-to market models for the future.

“Alongside this, retailers will continue to progress their key initiatives centred on health and wellness, sustainability and digitisation. Progress in these areas is incremental but we predict it will drive significant long-term change in the shape of our industry.”

A preview of the report can be downloaded at IGD Retail Analysis.