No images? Click here Dear subscriber, Happy New Year and welcome to our first FSAI Brexit Ezine of 2021. On 31 December 2020, the Brexit transition phase ended. The EU and UK have reached agreement in principle on a Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement there will be zero tariffs and zero quantitative restrictions on eligible products, but customs procedures must be completed and food import controls still apply, so you will need to comply with these requirements to import food into Ireland. Controls are carried out on food entering the EU market to protect the safety and health of EU citizens, the health and welfare of animals, and the environment. Customs controls are carried out by the Revenue Commissioners and food import controls are carried out by the following agencies:
The type of import controls carried out depend on the food and include documentary checks, identity checks, and physical checks. Importers, hauliers and agents must send the required import documentation to the relevant agency in advance of the consignments arrival at the port. This allows documentary checks to be carried out whilst the vehicle is travelling, minimising its delay in the port. This Ezine focuses on:
The Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland applies since 1 January 2021, ensuring that many of the changes arising in our trade with Great Britain will not apply to trade with Northern Ireland.
New rules for trading with the UK are now in placeOn 24 December 2020, the EU and UK negotiating teams reached agreement in principle on a Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which came into effect from 1 January 2021. The Agreement provides for tariff-free and quota-free trade for qualifying goods. The European Commission has provided more information on the Agreement on its website. It is important to note that even with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement in place, the end of the Brexit transition period brings substantial and lasting change, as the UK is no longer part of the EU Single Market and Customs Union. This means new procedures apply for businesses moving goods to, from or through the UK (excluding Northern Ireland). For food import requirements the FSAI free eLearning module is available. The Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, means that no new procedures will apply to goods moving between Northern Ireland and Ireland (or the other Member States of the European Union). Documentary requirements for food importsIrish food businesses buying food from the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) and placing it on the Irish market are importers. Documentary checks are carried out on all food imports. Delays will occur if import documents are not completed correctly or notified to the border control post within the required timelines. Submit your import documents in time to allow checks to be carried out before you arrive in the port. What is a documentary check?A documentary check is an examination of official certificates, official attestations, and other documents including commercial documents which are required to accompany the consignment. What documents are needed for food imports?Depending on the nature of the consignment the accompanying documents will vary. All food imports require the following documents:
In addition, some foods require additional documents:
The FSAI eLearning module Brexit - Food Import Requirements outlines the documentary requirements for all food imports. What are commercial documents?Are CN codes needed for import documents?Food import documentation requires the products Combined Nomenclature (CN) code. The CN is an EU tool for classifying goods when they are declared to Customs. The CN code required on the customs declaration is a ten-digit number that corresponds to a description of the food being imported. Visit Revenue Classification for help with classifying your product and find the correct CN code. Food import checklists for food businessesIncluded in the FSAI's eLearning module are import checklists for each type of food e.g. foods of animal origin, composite products, foods of non-animal origin.
Important Customs advice to hauliers and truck drivers moving goods from Great Britain into Irish portsThis week, Revenue provided important advice to hauliers and truck drivers moving goods to, from or through Great Britain (GB) into Ireland by ferry in relation to the following:
Following Revenue’s advice will ensure:
Revenue: Creating a correct Pre-Boarding NotificationThose responsible for transporting goods to or from Great Britain by ferry are required to create a Pre-Boarding Notification (PBN) on the Customs RoRo Service before the goods start their journey, and in advance of vehicles moving to the departure port. Revenue has supports in place to help trade and businesses adapt to the new customs formalities. A detailed step-by-step guide on how to create and correctly populate a PBN is available on www.revenue.ie. Revenue has also set up a dedicated email support service to deal with all PBN related queries at CustomsPBN@revenue.ie. Note: To create a correct PBN, and ensure the efficient movement of the goods, it is essential that the Master Reference Number (MRN) for each customs declaration for all consignments in a vehicle are included when creating the Pre-Boarding Notification (PBN).
A guidance video on how to create a PBN can be found here. Customs Channel Look UpDrivers travelling on ferries from Great Britain to Ireland are reminded to check their customs channel on the Customs RoRo Service 30 minutes out from arriving into Dublin or Rosslare ports. The customs channel will not be available before that as Revenue’s risk analysis process will be running while the ship is travelling between GB and Ireland. The Customs RoRo Service provides a range of trade facilitation services that minimise delays, in so far as possible, for goods coming into, and moving out of, Irish ports and involving Great Britain. The Channel Look-up service enables truck drivers to check if their vehicle can ‘Exit the Port’ or is required to ‘Call to Customs’ on arrival. Two key things for truck drivers to keep in mind to ensure they can access their customs channel:
If a driver gets a ‘Call to Customs’ channel this will be accompanied by details of the customs terminal to go to in the port. Detailed customs advice for truck drivers using Irish ports, including the steps to follow on how to use the Customs RoRo Service and how to look up the customs channel, can be found here. This information guide is available in 11 languages (Irish, English, Dutch, Estonian, French, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian and Russian).
Four steps to checking your customs channel
Key support and information can also be found at www.gov.ie/brexit. FSAI Brexit ResourcesVisit the FSAI's Brexit Resources page to find all our food business resources in one place. Six Steps to Brexit ReadinessNow that the transition period has ended, all companies, big and small, moving goods to, from, or through the UK, excluding Northern Ireland will be affected. Further details are available in the government’s Brexit Readiness Action Plan. Is your food business ready for post-Brexit trading? Check the six steps at www.gov.ie/brexit to ensure you have made the necessary changes. If you have not, you need to take action today. 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.
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