Industry Should Start Preparing for UK Border Control Changes, Experts Say

Businesses trading in and with the U.K. should prepare for a range of new border trade controls and procedures, including new phytosanitary measures and a revised trusted trader program, Institute of Export and International Trade experts said this week. While it’s unclear when some of the new measures will take effect, experts with the institute said traders can take steps now to make sure they comply with the regime.

The U.K. earlier this year said it plans to publish a new “Target Operating Model” this fall, which would outline a new regime for border import and export controls and likely be implemented next year. The new regime will include new sanitary and phytosanitary requirements for EU goods, introduce new safety and security declaration requirements, a new single trade window and other “transformational projects,” the U.K. Parliament said.

The new single window will be “really beneficial,” Suzanne Alecrim, trade and customs specialist at the IOE&IT Academy, said during an Aug. 22 webinar hosted by the institute. She said the U.K. currently has “lots of different systems” for customs declarations, and when moving goods between other countries with multiple systems, the procedures can get complicated.

“It's going to prevent that duplication of data entry,” Alecrim said. “It really is something that's going to help customers and traders -- and countries as well -- to actually be able to improve the international trade that they're going to have.”

A new window may also help reduce the likelihood of incorrect shipping data, she said, which can slow trade and lead to compliance issues. “At the moment, we do have the risk that things are going to be inaccurate because you are asking a number of parties to enter that data,” Alecrim said. “This is absolutely something that should be at the forefront of the government's agenda, is to design that single trade window to really help traders.”

The U.K. could also introduce a simplified trusted trader scheme to better facilitate the movement of goods between the U.K. and the EU. Traders can take several steps now to make sure they qualify for the scheme, which will require participants to show a history of compliance with customs and record-keeping procedures, Alecrim said.

The scheme could allow companies to “undertake their own cargo and document checks,” reduce certification requirements and may even reduce the number of required declarations, Alecrim said. She said the U.K. is also considering allowing trusted traders to submit “periodic declarations” for a batch of shipments.

“This will of course benefit traders as well with reduced costs,” she said. “The idea is to make it easier for compliant trade to pass through the border quickly and without hassle, while still collecting relevant data to be able to identify and deal with any abuse of the system.”

The U.K. is also planning to make changes to its phytosanitary controls for plant, animal and fish products, which could lead to more checks on EU imports. While not many logistical or recordkeeping changes are expected, traders will likely see more technical revisions to what type of products are subject to more scrutiny, said Kevin Shakespeare, IOE&IT director of strategic projects and international development. “It's so important for businesses to reflect on the nature of their produce, where it goes in the supply chain and what commodity code applies,” Shakespeare said.

Shakespeare also pointed to the U.K. Parliament's Electronic Trade Documents bill, which will be considered next month. He said the bill could modernize the U.K.’s customs documentation through electronic bills of lading, certificates of origin and other customs documents. “Trade is changing, both exports, both imports,” Shakespeare said. “There is an opportunity for businesses to benefit here.”