The UK authorities announced on 11/03/2021 a 6-month postponement of the arrangements for the export of products to the UK. Thus, the new rules which were due to come into force on 1 April, as well as those scheduled for 1 July, are postponed by 6 months.
Concretely, no new certificates will be required from 1 April in order to export products of animal or plant origin. These arrangements are postponed to 1 October 2021 (products of animal origin) and to 1 January 2022 (products of plant origin). Pre-notification is also not required before these dates.
The UK Government announced on 11 March a clear revised timetable for the introduction of controls, as follows:
- Pre-notification requirements for Products of Animal Origin (POAO), certain animal by-products (ABP), and High Risk Food Not Of Animal Origin (HRFNAO) will not be required until 1 October 2021. Export Health Certificate requirements for POAO and certain ABP will come into force on the same date.
- Customs import declarations will still be required, but the option to use the deferred declaration scheme, including submitting supplementary declarations up to six months after the goods have been imported, has been extended to 1 January 2022.
- Safety and Security Declarations for imports will not be required until 1 January 2022.
- Physical SPS checks for POAO, certain ABP, and HRFNAO will not be required until 1 January 2022. At that point they will take place at Border Control Posts.
- Physical SPS checks on high risk plants will take place at Border Control Posts, rather than at the place of destination as now, from 1 January 2022.
- Pre-notification requirements and documentary checks, including phytosanitary certificates will be required for low risk plants and plant products, and will be introduced from 1 January 2022.
- From March 2022, checks at Border Control Posts will take place on live animals and low risk plants and plant products.
