From 30 April 2024, new processes will be introduced when you are importing and exporting Food, Animal Products, Plants and Plant Products to and from the UK. These include physical checks of imports from the EU of certain sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) goods and the Common User Charge that will apply to imports entering Great Britain through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel.

Check what you need to do to be compliant and avoid disruption to your business and supply chain.  

Make sure you’re ready to import sanitary and phytosanitary goods from the EU

From 30 April 2024, physical checks of imports from the EU of certain sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) goods will be introduced. 
 
To ensure your goods meet the sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, from 30 April 2024 you will need to:

• create Part 1 of a Common Health Entry Document (CHED) import notification using the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS) in advance of the consignment arriving in GB – you should do this at least one working day prior to departure 
• make a customs declaration using the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) 
• pre-lodge your customs declaration using the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS), if you’re moving your goods through a port that uses GVMS

Making your declarations 
When making your customs declaration in the CDS, you must provide the CHED import notification reference in the customs declaration format (stated as 'customs declaration reference' on the CHED submission confirmation screen) and the CDS document code. Please note the customs declaration reference will be formatted differently to the CHED reference. You will be able to copy the reference in the correct format from IPAFFS, so please ensure you use this and do not make a mistake.

The reference you should include on the customs declaration will be in the format: GBCHDYYYY.XXXXXXX. If the CHED reference is incorrectly formatted, your consignment won’t be able to pass customs controls and will be directed to a Border Control Post (BCP) unnecessarily.

You should also make sure the commodity codes you enter on the CHED and the customs declaration match.

You should check IPAFFS and the CDS regularly until the consignment has cleared the border for onward travel into Great Britain.

If you make a mistake when making your declarations
Your goods won’t pass customs controls or be released to the UK market until you’ve corrected any errors. 
 
If the information on the CHED and the customs declaration don’t match, the CDS and IPAFFS dashboards will show a no-match status. In some cases, an email will also be sent but please check the dashboards on both systems as this is not guaranteed.

If you receive a no-match status, you will need to amend the CHED via IPAFFS, or the customs declaration via the CDS, to correct the mismatching information. You should do this before the consignment reaches the port of departure. 
 
You shouldn’t move your goods until you’ve followed all of the steps correctly and checked that the information on the CHED and customs declaration match. If you do not follow SPS import requirements, your consignment will be directed to a BCP when it may not need to attend.

Visit the GOV.UK website for more information 
 

Common user charge: rates and eligibility

The common user charge will be introduced on 30 April 2024 for commercial movements of animal products, plants and plant products through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel.

The charge applies to:

• imports entering Great Britain
• transits entering and leaving Great Britain

There are currently no physical or identity checks for live animal imports from the EU at border control posts.

As part of changes to import controls under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), from 30 April 2024 the common user charge will apply to commercial imports entering or transiting through Great Britain through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel from all countries.

You will need to pay the common user charge if you are a UK business importing a consignment of goods that:

• enters or transits through Great Britain through the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel
• is eligible for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks at a government-run border control post in England

The charge will apply even if the authorities do not select your consignment for SPS checks.

The UK government confirmed that invoicing for Common User Charges will begin at the end of July. This marks when import fees from May-July will be due, and will apply each month thereafter. 

• For consignments entering via Dover or the EuroTunnel, a charge of £29 per commodity line, up to a cap of 5, will be applied to each consignment of medium-risk animal origin food products, with a capped charge of £145.
• For exclusively low-risk animal origin products, including most cheese, a charge of £10 per commodity line up to a cap of 5 will be levied, with a capped charge of £50. This is where low-risk products are not in a mixed consignment with medium-risk products.
• Privately-run border control posts at other ports will apply similar charges for low and medium-risk animal origin and plant products imported into GB. Port charges will also be due.

Visit the GOV.UK website for more information 

Reacting to details of the common user charge being introduced on animal and plant product imports into the UK later this month, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce said:  “This is an extremely disappointing decision by Defra on the common usage charge. The level of import charges shows scant regard to the interests of both businesses and consumers.  
 
“A flat rate fee for bringing most animal and plant products into the UK is a hammer blow for small and medium sized importers. It’s also deeply concerning for retailers, cafes and restaurants.  
 
“Importing a small consignment of goods with only five different meat, poultry, egg, milk or some fish products in the medium risk category will now face a bill of £145 per package under these proposals.  
 
“The clock is ticking to 30th April when these charges will come into force. We urge the Government to reconsider their import charge plans in the coming days. Failing to do so risks higher prices for us all, at a time when we should be bearing down on business costs and food price inflation.”