No images? Click here Dear subscriber, Welcome to our latest FSAI Brexit Ezine. With just over two months to go until the end of the transition period, food businesses need to make sure they are ready for the changes Brexit will bring from 1 January 2021. Knowing the import requirements for your products will help reduce the impact of Brexit on your food business. Brexit Bites - free webinar for your food businessJoin us at our next free Brexit Bite event 'Importing food of animal origin' taking place live on Wednesday 21 October at 10am.In this short webinar, John Higgins and Noreen Galvin from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will give an overview of the requirements for importing foods of animal origin into Ireland from Great Britain from 1 January 2021. The following will be covered:
There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the presentation. This free event will be held online and will last 45 minutes. To register please click here FSAI are holding another Brexit Bite on the 4th November - this will go through the import controls for foods of non-animal origin and food contact materials. Subscribe to FSAI event alerts if you would like to be notified when registration opens.
Practical messages to prepare for import controls on foods of animal origin and plants and plant productsUnder EU regulations all live animals, products of animal origin (including fishery products), plants and plant products that are imported into the EU require import control (SPS) checks at the Border Control Post of entry into the EU. These checks are mandatory and aim to reduce the risk to human, animal, and plant health. From 1 January 2021 these controls will apply to imports from Great Britain. Under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland is legally part of the UK customs territory but subject to certain provisions of EU law, including EU food law. This means that there will be no change to the current procedures for trade in food with Northern Ireland. Does your product require import controls at the BCP?The products requiring checks at a border control post (BCP) are listed in Regulation 2019/2007 and Commission Decision 2007/275/EC. These goods must enter Ireland at a border control post. Each consignment must be certified prior to dispatch from Great Britain. A Health Certificate is necessary for foods of animal origin and a Phytosanitary Certificate is necessary for plants and plant products. Visit the DAFM website for more information on import requirements. Preparation for the import controls process1. Engage with your Great Britain supplier to ensure they can fulfil the EU requirements for importation of their product to the EU regarding approved establishments and certification of the product(s). 2. Have you assigned the operator responsible for the consignment? This is a very important person in the import controls process. They are responsible for pre-notifying the border control post (BCP) of the consignments arrival by generating a Common Health Entry Document (CHED) for each consignment and submitting the documents for each consignment to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). Both these must be done 24 hours in advance of the arrival of the consignment at a BCP. For companies or individuals to be registered on TRACES NT (EU electronic system for imports) as “responsible for the load” and subsequently creating CHEDs as ‘operator responsible for the consignment” they must first register with DAFM at BrexitRegistration@agriculture.gov.ie Further guidance on creating CHEDs can be found on the DAFM website. Once the documents are submitted the staff at the BCP can start the first part of the import controls process which is the documentary check. The operator responsible for the consignment will be contacted if there are any queries regarding the submitted documents. 3. Once your load arrives in Dublin Port it will be routed via Customs for further import checks. For products of animal origin this will include identity checks on 100% consignments and further physical checks at frequencies depending on the product. Most foods of animal origin will have a 15% or 30% physical check rate. Plants and plant products will have a further check at rates of 1-100% depending on the commodity. The number of consignments and method of packing the load will affect the length of time an identity or physical check can take. A full description of the documentary, identity and physical checks will be included in the Brexit Bite webinar on the 21st October. You will be able to appreciate the process and how it relates to goods that you may wish to import as they move through the BCP before being allowed to enter the EU.
DAFM Brexit ResourcesBrexit information can be found at www.agriculture.gov.ie/brexit For comprehensive information on importing foods of animal origin click here. For import queries email ImportControls@agriculture.gov.ie Contact DAFM's dedicated email for all Brexit queries Brexitcall@agriculture.gov.ie
Brexit Readiness Action PlanOn 9 September, the Government launched its Brexit Readiness Action Plan. The Action Plan supports and promotes the necessary preparations for the substantial and enduring changes that will arise at the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020. Regardless of the outcome of the EU-UK negotiations, a number of outcomes are already clear. The most significant of which is that, in less than three months, the UK will be outside the EU’s Single Market and Customs Union. Time is short and action is required now. To read the plan or to get further information, visit www.gov.ie/Brexit.
We will continue to keep you updated and provide information and advice on the steps you need to take to be prepared for 1 January 2021. For up-to-date information on Brexit, visit our website at www.fsai.ie/Brexit or email Brexit@fsai.ie if you have any specific questions. Look out for future FSAI Brexit Ezines. You can change your preferences or unsubscribe at any time using the links at the bottom of the email. |