The final stage of the system of post-Brexit border checks, the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), is being delayed again, it has been announced.
The Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) said that the planned checks on some fruit and veg products moving from the EU into the UK would now be postponed until 1 July 2025.
The checks were originally meant to come in on 30 October 2024. However, an easement was introduced that pushed this back until January. This has now been extended until the middle of 2025.
‘Extended timeline’
A Defra spokesperson said:
“We are extending the timeline of checks on fruit and vegetable imports due to come into force to give businesses and traders more time to prepare.
“This will ensure that checks are introduced progressively to protect our biosecurity while also minimising disruption and costs to trade.”
Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade director general Marco Forgione said the news would be “welcomed by UK and EU businesses alike”.
“The UK relies heavily on imports of fresh fruit and veg from the EU, and with such products having a limited shelf life, it is important to ensure that any controls on them are proportionate to the risk that they pose.
“It is encouraging to see that some produce has been re-categorised back to 'low' risk rather than 'medium', meaning that it is not subject to any checks at the border.”
According to the announcement, seven commodity groups (including apples and pears) will be re-categorised from medium risk to low risk, allowing these goods to move freely into GB from the EU, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Common User Charge
Forgione noted that there had been confusion around these classifications, as well as the Common User Charge (CUC), since they were first brought in earlier this year.
As previously reported by the Daily Update, businesses and customs agents were being charged for inspections on goods brought into the UK that had not taken place.
The CUC is used to fund the inland border control post (BCP) in Sevington. Defra said that the approach “spreads the costs across the maximum number of imports, keeping charges as low as possible while providing a high level of predictability, and ensuring we only import safe, high-quality products”.
The Fresh Produce Consortium told the Guardian that the checks could add £200m to import costs, resulting in higher supermarket prices for consumers.
Another delay
The delay is the latest in a long series of delays for BTOM, which was originally planned to go live in 2021. This most recent announcement pushes the final start date back to over four years beyond this initial launch date.
The first stage of BTOM occurred 31 January, with animal and plant goods classed as ‘medium risk’ requiring export health certificates or phytosanitary certificates, while the second stage (30 April) saw checks being introduced on certain sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) goods.
SSD status
Forgione also urged the government to provide clarification on Safety and Security Declarations (SSD) that are still slated to be introduced 31 October.
Under the planned rules, declarations will now need to be made on all imports from the EU and other countries.
The Daily Update has not yet been informed of any changes to the planned SSD deadline.
The Chartered Institute has a member-only Lunchtime Learning session on BTOM for 3 October, where trade experts explain the implications of the ongoing checks.