The “New Approach” of the British Government to Import Controls and Its Implications for Businesses

Introduction

The Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency said on the 28th of April 2022 that the new controls for EU-UK migration, which had been scheduled to go into effect on the 1st of July 2022, have been delayed until further notice.

This year, the remaining import limitations on EU goods will not be implemented, saving British businesses up to £1 billion annually in costs. Instead, the Government is accelerating a transformational effort to digitally change Britain’s borders, using new technology and data to decrease friction and costs for businesses and consumers. 

This is a new approach for a new era, as the United Kingdom maximises the benefits of leaving the European Union and implements the appropriate policies for our trade with the rest of the world. This is due to the Government’s announcement that no new import restrictions will be imposed on EU products in 2018.

Customs Controls postponed to 2023

While all current controls will remain in place, the implementation of the following has been postponed until the end of 2023:

• A requirement for further Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) checks on EU imports currently at the destination to be moved to Border Control Post (BCP).
• A requirement for safety and security declarations on EU imports.
• A requirement for further health certification and SPS checks for EU imports.
• Prohibitions and restrictions on the import of chilled meats from the EU.

Why has the Government pushed back the impending controls?

As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, living and energy expenses are rising, and the Government is searching for methods to decrease the pressure on businesses to raise prices.

According to the cabinet office, the Government has determined that imposing new administrative restrictions on enterprises that may pass along the related expenses to consumers would be inappropriate. As a result, the Government has decided to suspend these extra controls until at least next year and will publish a Target Operating Model in the fall of this year in order to develop their new strategy for border import controls in 2023.

What does this mean for businesses?

No longer will businesses be required to prepare for July’s new import restrictions. In addition, the Government estimates that these reforms would save businesses £1 billion this year.

How is Customs-Declarations.UK assisting its clients? 

Filing your customs declarations can be a daunting task for many organisations, at Customs-Declarations.UK, we take care of the customs declaration filing process on your behalf, saving you time and money while bringing overall efficiency and effectiveness to your business operations. We are using this additional time to learn and improve our platform so that when the additional import regulations are imposed in 2023, we will be prepared to assist you with these modifications.

We value your feedback, and if you have any comments, suggestions or anything else that you would like to highlight to us, we will be delighted to hear from you and incorporate your feedback into our content.

Note: While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this Site has been obtained from reliable sources, Customs Declarations UK is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information in this Site is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Nothing herein shall to any extent substitute for the independent investigations and the sound technical and business judgment of the reader. In no event will Customs Declarations UK, or its partners, employees or agents, be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this Site or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. Certain links in this Site connect to other Web Sites maintained by third parties over whom Customs Declarations UK has no control. Customs Declarations UK makes no representations as to the accuracy or any other aspect of information contained in other Web Sites.