“On 13 July 2020, the first iteration of the Border Operating Model was published setting out the core model that all importers and exporters will need to follow from January 2021 as well as the additional requirements for specific products such as live animals, plants, products of animal origin and high-risk food not of animal origin.
“We also provided important details of Member State requirements as traders and the border industry will need to ensure they are ready to comply with these, and not just GB requirements. Indeed, as set out in the recently published ‘Reasonable Worst Case Scenario’ assumptions, it is largely the level of readiness for Member State requirements which will determine whether there is disruption to the flow of goods at the end of the transition period. This is why we have included additional signposting to those requirements throughout the document, and are encouraging all GB businesses not just to ensure their own readiness but also the readiness of EU businesses to whom they export, and throughout their supply chains.
“Since July we have been working closely with industry to further develop our plans for the end of the transition period, and also to respond to industry questions since the publication of the first iteration of the Border Operating Model. This latest iteration of the Border Operating Model provides additional information in a number of key areas as set out below as well as clarifying a number of questions from industry.”
The key new additions and changes include:
• Details of the new infrastructure requirements including locations;
• Updates in a number of agrifood and environmental policy areas including fish, chemicals, fluorinated greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances, highpriority plants and plant products;
• Further detail on delayed customs declarations and the requirements of Entry in Declarants Records (EIDR);
• Further details regarding the approach to liabilities for intermediaries; • Information on what ‘poor compliance history’ means;
• Clarity on guarantees and DDA requirements;
• Bulk import reduced data set details;
• Further clarity on level of checks applying to goods subject to sanitary and phytosanitary controls in July 2021;
• The ”Check an HGV is Ready to Cross the Border” Service (formerly referred to as Smart Freight);
• Refreshed process maps to reflect where greater detail is now available;
• A number of new annexes including passengers policies, requirements for aviation, rail and energy sectors; and
• Updated annexes regarding Member State requirements.
Commenting on the government’s publication today (8 October 2020) of its Border Operating Model, to be implemented at the end of the Transition Period from 1 January 2021, Logistics UK’s policy director Elizabeth de Jong said: “Clarification on the arrangements for the UK’s borders with the EU at the end of the Transition Period is welcomed by our members, the organisations charged with moving goods and services to and from our nation’s largest trading partner.
“With less than 90 days to go until implementation, it is imperative that businesses seeking to sell their goods to companies in the EU make the most of this guidance to speed up their preparations and ensure that their paperwork is in order on 1 January 2021. Logistics organisations need their customers to prepare if they are to maintain a smooth flow of goods to and from the EU.
“We now want to see the same clarity and detailed information for the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, so that businesses can plan and logistics operators avoid delays.”
Details of the Border Operating Model are available here.
