Last month, the UK announced that it is delaying the implementation of some post-Brexit border controls which had been due to come into force at the start of October for goods entering the UK from the EU. The UK’s Brexit Minister David Frost, in a written ministerial statement, said:

“The Government initially announced a timetable for the introduction of the final stages of those controls on 11 March. The Government’s own preparations, in terms of systems, infrastructure and resourcing, remain on track to meet that timetable. However, the pandemic has had longer-lasting impacts on businesses, both in the UK and in the European Union, than many observers expected in March.”

The following delays were announced:

• The requirement for pre-notification of agri-food imports will be introduced on 1 January 2022 as opposed to 1 October 2021.
• The new requirements for export health certificates, which were due to be introduced on 1 October 2021, will now be introduced on 1 July 2022.
• Phytosanitary certificates and physical checks on SPS goods at Border Control Posts, due to be introduced on 1 January 2022, will now be introduced on 1 July 2022.
• The requirement for safety and security declarations on imports will be introduced as of 1 July 2022 as opposed to 1 January 2022.
• The timetable for the removal of the current easements in relation to full customs controls and the introduction of customs checks remains unchanged from the planned 1 January 2022.