London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Sep 28, 2025

Post-Brexit checks on goods from EU into UK announced after delay

Post-Brexit checks on goods from EU into UK announced after delay

The UK government has delayed putting in place checks on goods four times after it agreed to do so with the EU as part of its post-Brexit trade agreement.

Post-Brexit checks on goods coming to the UK from the EU are to be reduced and simplified, the government has announced.

The new Border Target Operating Model involving fewer checks and bureaucracy, and more digitisation - backed by more than £1bn in funding - has been announced to "minimise trader burdens and maintain border security while remaining aligned with international standards".

The government has delayed putting in place the checks four times, which are legally required under the Brexit trade deal with the EU, due to worries about port disruption. The delays had caused considerable friction with Brussels.

But details of the new customs and regulatory process have now been agreed by the government and are set to be introduced later this year and fully implemented by 2027.

It is currently a draft and the government wants businesses to provide feedback before it is set in stone.

Business groups have largely welcomed the proposals, with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) praising "the shift to a digital trade system", while the Welsh government said it supports them.

A ministerial foreword to the new document says: "It will move us closer to our goal of creating the most effective border in the world, by introducing an improved regime of sanitary, phytosanitary and security controls on imports.

"These controls are essential to maintaining our security and biosecurity and will better protect us and our environment from invasive pests and diseases, protect public health, deliver food that is safe to eat whilst maintaining security of supply for consumers, and disrupt criminal activity before it can harm our communities."

None of the additional checks or controls in the model will apply to imports into Northern Ireland from the EU following the Windsor Framework agreed by Westminster and the EU in February.

There will be some further checks for Irish goods arriving directly in England, Wales and Scotland from the Republic of Ireland.

The new changes for EU to UK goods include:

• A pilot trusted traders scheme to allow frequent importers to avoid trade checks

• Safety and security data requirements reduced from 37 mandatory fields to 24 - with 13 more optional

• Introduction of the UK Single Trade Window - a single digital gateway for importers and exporters to provide the data needed to trade and apply for licences, submit safety and security data and authorisations for trusted trader schemes

• Removing duplication by improving the use of data

• Removing safety and security requirements for certain outbound freeport goods, outbound transit and fish from UK waters landed in non-UK ports

• Live animals, germinal products, animal products and by-products, plants and plant products will be categorised as high, medium or low risk, with appropriate controls determined by their risk and the country of origin

• Simplified and digitised health certificates

• Support for food businesses who "will need to adapt their businesses and supply chains"

• Checks to take place away from ports at Border Control Posts to prevent traffic build-ups.

Fixed timescale

The government said it plans to implement different parts of the model by three dates:

• 31 October 2023 - the introduction of health certification on imports of medium-risk animal products, plants, plant products and high-risk food and feed of non-animal origin from the EU

• 31 January 2024 - introduction of documentary and risk-based identity and physical checks on medium-risk animal products, plants, plant products and high-risk food and feed of non-animal origin from the EU

Imports of animal and plant goods from the rest of the world will start to benefit from the model

Existing inspections of high-risk plants/plant products from the EU will move from their destination to a border control post within a port or airport

• 31 October 2024 - Safety and security declarations for EU imports will come into force, as will a reduced need for import data and the use of the UK Single Trade Window will remove the need for duplicated pre-arrival data.

Goods entering the UK from the EU will have to be checked


Companies must now prepare


William Bain, head of trade policy at the BCC, said if the digitisation is "done properly then smaller firms will see benefits" importing goods into Great Britain.

He urged the government to stick to its timescales as "providing certainty for business is crucial" and said it was vital for companies in the UK and around the world to properly prepare for the changes.

There are some different rules, on top of those outlined in the Windsor Framework, planned for Irish goods arriving in Wales, England or Scotland directly from Irish ports.

They will be subject to "full customs controls", which changes the current arrangements. These will be phased in from October 2023 and the government has promised to work with businesses and the Scottish and Welsh governments to ensure it is fully compliant with the UK Internal Market Act.

Businesses and citizens in Northern Ireland will be able to purchase goods from the EU with no new barriers and none of the additional checks or controls set out in the new Border Target Operating Model.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
×