Members may have been concerned to hear that the French Authorities were due to bring in a new requirement for all private attestations for exports of shelf-stable composite goods presented at a French BCP to be translated in French from 1 January 2023.

Defra have been working closely with the French Authorities to extend this deadline to give exporters in Great Britain more time to prepare for this change.

We can now confirm that they have had some success and this new requirement will be delayed until Sunday 15 January 2023.

In preparation for this change, Defra urge business to start familiarising themselves with the new French translation. See here on gov.uk for the translated version of the form.

When is a private attestation needed?

EU or Northern Ireland importers or agents must complete a private attestation for composite food products if both of the following apply:

• the products are shelf-stable (not stored chilled or frozen)
• the products do not contain processed meat

A private attestation can be used for shelf-stable products that need to be transported at a controlled temperature of 0°C degrees or above.

Exporters should check if the Border Control Post (BCP) where the goods will arrive will accept a private attestation. Exporters need to give their EU or Northern Ireland import agent information about the products they are exporting so they can complete and sign the attestation.

For further information – please contact: Exports@APHA.gov.uk

Colleagues at Unsworth have also offered their support. Should you need it, they can offer a translation service and are also working to grant specific extensions if they are engaged in a translation process. You can contact them here

Members can also join Unsworth’s Port User forum for regular updates: https://www.unsworth.uk/news-and-articles/unsworth-and-partners-launch-the-port-of-calais-user-forum