This week’s EU exit corner, 13 September 2021

In this week’s EU exit corner, the latest guidance updates feature in addition to news of further grace periods extensions and last week’s Trader Support Service (“TSS”) webinar. See also the most recent EU exit bulletin which features every Friday in Chartered Accountants News.

Grace periods extended 

Last week the UK government announced that it was indefinitely extending the current grace periods and easements on goods moving from GB to NI. The announcement came in the form of a written ministerial statement laid before the House of Lords by the Minister of State in the Cabinet Office Lord Frost.

The current extension of the grace periods and easements means, among other things, that: 

• Consumer parcels from GB into NI do not currently require a customs declaration and this will continue;
• Business-to-Business parcels (non-controlled goods valued at less than £135) from GB to NI can continue to be sent without a customs declaration – this was due to end on 1 October; 
• The stand-down of the requirement to have a fixed place of business in NI in order to register for the UK Trader scheme will continue; and
• Supermarkets and their trusted suppliers can move meat, dairy, and plant products into NI from GB without the full SPS certification as long as they are for consumption solely in NI.  

In a meeting last week with HMRC (the Joint Customs Consultative Committee), it was confirmed to the Institute that the current extensions will continue indefinitely, depending on the outcome of the talks on the Protocol. 

Trader Support Service – webinar recording and slides available 

Representatives from the UK’s TSS team delivered another webinar to Institute members last week which outlined recent updates and enhanced functionality to the TSS. The webinar also look at an outline of planned future enhancements. A recording of the webinar and the slides used are both available.   

Miscellaneous updated guidance

The following documents/guidance relevant to EU exit have been updated/published recently:-

• Preparing to move goods into the UK through common transit countries;
• Preparing to move goods out of the UK through common transit countries;
• Using common or union transit to move goods into, through and out of the UK;
• Moving goods out of Great Britain through common transit countries;
• Moving goods into or through Great Britain using common transit;
• Moving goods into or through Northern Ireland using common or union transit;
• Using CHIEF for declaring goods into or out of Northern Ireland;
• Water and sewerage company effluent discharges – supply chain failure: RPS B2;
• Moving goods through the Port of Holyhead;
• Brexit: guidance for businesses;
• Exporting or moving high risk food and feed of non-animal origin to the EU or Northern Ireland;
• Export horses and ponies: special rules;
• Organisations that trade with the EU – webinars calendar;
• Protected geographical food and drink names: applications, objections and decisions;
• Search the register of customs agents and fast parcel operators; and
• Participating in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS)