The UK has further delayed the rollout of its post-Brexit border regime amid concerns that the technology is not ready.
The scheme has already faced multiple delays since the UK's departure from the EU in January 2021. While checks on animal and plant products were only introduced in April this year, plans to extend the checks to fresh produce such as fruit and vegetables have now been pushed back to July 2025, a delay largely influenced by the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC)’s lobbying efforts. This extension is welcomed by the industry, which had expressed concerns over the readiness of both businesses and the necessary technology.
The British government had initially intended to introduce safety and security declarations for all imports as part of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) on 31 October this year. Concurrently, the government was also planning to roll out its Single Trade Window (STW) — a platform designed to allow importers and exporters to file all their paperwork digitally in one place.
“The declarations will now be introduced on 31 January 2025,” a spokesperson for HMRC told POLITICO, meaning the U.K. will continue to wave through goods coming from the EU without safety and security certificates for another three months.
Firms were informed of the delay on Thursday during a meeting of the Joint Customs Consultative Committee — an HMRC forum made up of business and border groups.
The delay is “not a surprise,” according to a senior business representative briefed on the plans. The government “hadn't produced much in the way of guidance” about how the new STW system would work, they explained. With less than a month to go before the rollout, “you would be expecting to see the guidance right now,” they said.
“I’m not sure it has any wider political significance other than just the fact that the technology needs to be right,” they added.
HMRC confirmed that the first release of the STW functionality is currently being tested with selected users, and the department is “listening to industry about the time it will take them to prepare” for the new regime.
A second senior business representative said: “The government had no option but to delay as there has been a communication blackout hampering businesses’ ability to plan and prepare. The entire BTOM experience to date for businesses had been one of far too little information, far too late. That must change.”
A third senior business representative confirmed that the technology “is not where it needs to be,” calling the delay of the STW rollout “a sensible move.” They noted that it now allows time for “calm conversation” between the U.K. and EU about alternative ways to ensure assured trade for SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) goods.
Britain’s new Labour government is planning to negotiate a veterinary or SPS agreement with the EU, which could align UK-EU standards and potentially remove the need for checks on EU food imports altogether.
The government has also introduced new legislation giving ministers the power to recognise EU product safety rules updated since Britain’s departure.
“We will continue to engage closely with industry to ensure they are prepared for a smooth transition to the new regime,” the HMRC spokesperson added. “Businesses who are ready to start submitting S&S declarations before the introduction date are welcome to do so.”
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