‘Importing? Make use of experts’
ON JANUARY 1, 2022 NEW RULES WERE INTRODUCED FOR MOVING GOODS FROM THE EU TO GREAT BRITAIN. IT’S NOT TOO LATE – ACT NOW TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS MOVING
Following the UK’S departure from the EU, there are new rules for businesses moving goods into Great Britain.
If your business imports food, animal products, plants or plant products from the EU, you may now need to pre-notify the authorities that your consignment is entering Great Britain. If you haven’t already registered for the relevant IT system, it’s not too late to do so now to ensure you are prepared for the new pre-notification requirements.
Traders who do not follow the correct process may find that their goods are stopped at the port.
Founder of Midlands-based business Toddle, Hannah Saunders makes natural skincare products for babies and children. She imports some of Toddle’s key ingredients from the EU, such as polyglycerides and cultures – all of which are 100 per cent vegetable origin. The new import rules mean consignments like Hannah’s must be pre-notified.
With retailers for her products including WH Smith, Virgin Atlantic and the National Trust, Hannah needs reliable systems in place, and she has opted to use a specialist chemical freight forwarder to help.
Hannah explains: “This will affect our bottom line, but we’ve seen a huge increase in sales, so it
was the right move for my
“Now that we’ve done all the preparation needed, the additional regulations won’t affect us too much.” So what advice would Hannah give to other businesses who are perhaps less prepared than Toddle? “Lean on experts. We use the Department of International Trade and have our own trade adviser. He talks us through legislation issues, and if he doesn’t know the answer he’ll point us in the right direction. A good place to start is gov.uk/askexport-support-team.”