Brexit update: changes to import checks from EU to be postponed
Defra have released the following statement to organic stakeholders:
“The UK is postponing checks on imported food and fresh products from the EU until the end of 2023, as it announced a review of the post-Brexit regime. The controls were due to be introduced in July this year, but the government said on Thursday that the review will look at how to implement the remaining checks “in an improved way” and that its conclusions will be published in the fall, with the new controls regime coming into force by the end of next year.”
This announcement means that the requirement for organic COIs from the EU, EEA and Switzerland will continue to be waived.
We know this decision will come as a huge relief to many businesses who currently source products from the EU which were neither grown nor processed in the EU.
We will continue our work with regulators, businesses and trade bodies in both the UK and the EU, calling for both an interim solution ready for the 2023 deadline and a renewed EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement in 2025 which fully recognises the unique challenges faced by the organic sector.
If you have questions relating to port clearance in light of this announcement, then please feel free to contact our COI team on 0117 314 5060 or by email at coi@soilassociation.org.