Back in 2014, BFFF were the first trade association to take on the primary authority scheme, today, we still continue to protect our members from unwanted legal challenges and deliver crucial benefits through the scheme. More recently, as a respected and well established primary authority provider, BFFF was approached by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to take part in a government initiative to further develop and digitalise the scheme. It was a privilege to be involved in this review, however, this did come with a caveat as Simon Brentnall BFFF’s Head of Health & Safety explains;

‘In the meeting, we did stress the importance of digitalisation, we do need to bridge the generation gap and innovate, this could translate into the development of a Primary Authority app. More importantly, we also made it clear what a good primary authority partnership really looks like. We raised the point that BFFF’s success with the scheme was not down to digitalisation but down to developing relationships through conversation, by simply picking up the phone and having regular discussions.

The one piece of advice I would give to any company looking to take on primary authority would be to find a partner which is amenable, someone you can have regular open and honest dialogue with experience in your industry.

Over the years we have been lucky enough in finding the ideal partner who excel in this criteria. We use Wakefield Metropolitan District Council for Health & Safety, they are amenable and nothing is too much trouble with the added benefit of having knowledge of our industry.

In summary, let’s develop, let’s innovate but most importantly, let’s keep talking….

To find out more about the primary authority scheme, contact:simonbrentnall@bfff.co.uk

The Common User Charge rates have now been confirmed on Gov.UK.

You can also view the Government’s response to the consultation on charging arrangements at Government-run border control posts here

Defra will be hosting a webinar on the Common User Charge rates, who will need to pay and how it will be administered – on Wednesday 10 April between 9:30 and 10:30am. You can sign up to attend the webinar here.

You are requested to pre-submit your questions by 3pm on Tuesday 9 April. You’ll be given the option to do this when signing up for the session. Defra will be answering most commonly asked questions, as well as taking further prioritised questions at the session.

For ease of reference, Defra have provided information on the Common User Charge below:

 

About the Common User Charge

From 30 April 2024, and in line with the introduction of risk-based identity and physical Border Control Post (BCP) checks set out in the BTOM, the Government will administer a Common User Charge on all eligible SPS imports (from rest of world EU and EFTA countries) entering the UK through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel in Kent.

The introduction of new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) import controls are fundamental to protecting the UK’s food supply chain, our food and farming industries, and our natural environment from biosecurity risks including the costly outbreaks of diseases.

Charges on eligible imports coming into GB are necessary to fund the operation of planned government-run BCP facilities serving Port of Dover and Eurotunnel to make sure physical checks on SPS imports can be undertaken safely and securely.

The Common User Charge will apply to imports of animal products, plants and plant products entering GB through the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel which are eligible for checks at a government-run BCP. It will be applied to all eligible imports whether or not the import is selected for a physical check at planned government-run BCP facilities.

From 30 April 2024, the following rates will be charged for each commodity line in a Common Health Entry Document (CHED).

Commodity type: Low-risk products of animal origin (POAO)

• Imports – £10 per commodity line
• Transits – £10 per commodity line

Commodity type: Medium-risk POAO

• Imports – £29 per commodity line
• Transits – £10 per commodity line

Commodity type: High-risk POAO

• Imports – £29 per commodity line
• Transits – £10 per commodity line

Commodity type: Low-risk plants and plant products

• Imports – no common user charge
• Transits – no common user charge

Commodity type: Medium-risk plants and plant products

• Imports – £29 per commodity line
• Transits – no common user charge

Commodity type: High-risk plants and plant products

• Imports – £29 per commodity line
• Transits – no common user charge

The maximum charge for one CHED will be limited to 5 commodity lines, even if there are more than 5 commodity lines present in the CHED. This means that medium and high-risk CHEDs will be capped at £145. Low-risk POAO CHEDs and POAO transits will be capped at £50.

To support business readiness, the first digital invoices will be issued in arrears later in the year for charges incurred from 30 April 2024. Thereafter, digital invoices will be issued in arrears on a month-by-month basis. Further details about the administration of the charge including the process about how and when importers will be invoiced, and what support there is for businesses to pay the charge will be set out in guidance ahead of 30 April 2024.

The Common User Charge will be in addition to any inspection fees applied by the Port Health Authority (for products of animal origin) and/or the Animal and Plant Health Agency (for plant and plant products). It will be up to commercial (private) ports to set their own charging structure and rates for traders using their services.

The impact of the Common User Charge on businesses of all sizes will be kept under monthly and quarterly reviews, with rates reviewed and updated annually.

New import controls have been introduced and further changes will come into effect from 30 April 2024. From 30 April 2024 traders must:

• Ensure goods arrive through an appropriately designated Border Control Post (BCP) or Control Point (CP) for your commodity type
• If called, present the consignment for documentary, physical and identification inspections at the BCP or CP

These requirements will apply to EU and non-qualifying Northern Ireland Goods entering GB from the island of Ireland no earlier than 31 October 2024, with the precise date to be confirmed.

Import notifications and customs declarations

From 30 April, HMRC/Defra systems will cross-check the CHED import notification & customs declaration for each consignment of goods subject to SPS controls imported from EU countries.

This is already in place for non-EU countries. To avoid the consignment being directed to a BCP when it may not need to attend, the CHED import notification reference and commodity codes must be consistent between the notification and the customs declaration. Follow these steps.

• Submit the import notification using IPAFFS before your customs agent submits the customs declaration using Customs Declaration Service.
• Use the new Copy function to copy the CHED reference and customs Doc code in the correct format for the customs declaration.
• Send to your customs agent together with a PDF copy of the import notification. Ask them to double check the commodity codes are the same in the customs declaration. They should also check that there are no special characters in the description of goods field (Data Element 6/8).
• Work with your customs agent to fix any errors shown on CDS or IPAFFS before the consignment reaches the port of departure, to avoid it being directed to a BCP when it may not need to attend.

Use of a scanned copy of an Export Health Certificate

For a three-month period from 30 April 2024 a temporary easement will be in place to enable the full requirements of a documentary check to be satisfied when a scanned copy of an original Export Health Certificate (EHC) or Phytosanitary certificate (PC) is provided in an importer’s prenotification. Where a scanned copy is provided, the original EHC or PC should be provided to competent authorities within five (EHC) or three (PC) business days of a consignment’s arrival.

The temporary easement will only apply to EHCs for animal products and by products from the EU and to PCs for plants and plant products from the EU, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. You should continue to adopt fully digitised certification as soon as possible to reduce the requirement to undergo in person documentary checks at the border once the three-month easement period ends.

Read more: information about Export Health Certificates

Webinars and other useful sources of information:

Sign up to webinars for traders.

These sessions will tell you all you need to know about changes to import processes from 30 April 2024 under the Border Target Operating Model. They will provide a step-by-step guide to importing to GB from EU/EFTA and will provide information on entering through a port of entry with a border control post and outline what happens once you get there.

Join the session at 10.30am on Tuesday 9th April to find out about the forthcoming changes for products of animal origin:

BTOM: Prepare for import controls from 30 April ’24 (animal products) Tickets, Tue 9 Apr 2024 at 10:30 | Eventbrite

If you’re importing plants or plant products, sign up to the webinar on 11th April:

BTOM: Prepare for the upcoming import controls from Apr’24 (plants focused) Tickets, Thu 11 Apr 2024 at 11:00 | Eventbrite

Visit the YouTube channel and watch recordings of our previous webinars for traders.

Read the summary of common errors.

Read the Frequently Asked Questions about IPAFFS and Health Certificates.

Read guidance on how to comply with your legal responsibilities for:

• importing live animals and animal products to Great Britain
• importing plants and plant products from the EU to Great Britain
• importing plants and plant products from non-EU countries to Great Britain

The British Frozen Food Federation recognises Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2024 which is held annually between 1st -7th April to raise awareness of the risks of asbestos exposure and the need for prevention measures.

During Global Asbestos Awareness Week, organisations, trade associations, support groups, medical professionals, and individuals unite to inform others about the risks associated with asbestos exposure, share information about asbestos-related diseases, and promote measures to prevent exposure. The BFFF recently raised the profile to members through its Health & Safety Group.

Asbestos was banned in the UK on the 24thNovember 1999, and there is a concern that the new generation of workers or not fully aware of the dangers. We need to make everyone understand this these risks with Six million tons of asbestos still present and spread across 1.5 million buildings in the UK.

Please make your staff businesses aware of the following statistics:

• There are 26,000 mesothelioma deaths a year worldwide with a total of 107,000 deaths a year worldwide,
• The UK has 2,500 mesothelioma deaths a year with a total of 5,000 deaths a year in the UK,
• Blue asbestos is 500 times more dangerous, Brown asbestos 100 times more toxic than White,
• Asbestos will have claimed the lives of 10 million people worldwide before its fully controlled,
• Risk to workers is particularly high when work is being carried out at your premises through installation of new equipment, removal of old, maintenance work and construction /alteration work as asbestos fibres can be released if asbestos is disturbed or damaged.

The HSE is currently running two asbestos campaigns:

• Asbestos and You: highlights the risk of asbestos to tradespeople. It urges tradespeople to stay aware of hidden asbestos and protect themselves and others from exposure to asbestos fibres during their work,
• Asbestos – Your Duty: aims to raise awareness of the legal duty to manage asbestos in buildings. aims to reach those responsible for maintenance and repair of non-domestic buildings built before the year 2000. More information on asbestos can be found on the HSE website here: Asbestos – HSE.