BBC News - A failure to understand that true import formalities aren’t being imposed yet

Currently, we are managing the importation of several shipments each week for Christmas markets across the UK. These largely involve foods, such as sausages, butter, cheese, oil, pastries, chocolate sauce, vegetable preparation and bread.  It also involves a lot of associated goods, including logs.

BBC News ran an article concerning the decline in the number and size of Christmas markets this year. They interviewed Anja Manke, who runs the twenty-three stalls that form the German Christmas Market in St Ann's Square in Manchester.

The BBC noted, that because of Brexit, Anja “made the tough choice not to bring a moose-head that normally sits on top of a German beer bar and has changed some products, including using an English company to import German beer”.

Of course, those of us that manage the importation of food know that the real difficulties for importers lie ahead of them.  Whilst exporters have had to undergo the added difficulty and expense required to clear their goods into the European Union, importers have effectively had a declaration holiday.

When it comes to Christmas 2022, health certificate will be required for a wide range of goods at import.  Currently, this is circumvented using the additional information override code AI=LIC99, i.e. no licence required.  In relation to a recent import involving 68 distinct products for a market, we used this code 43 times.  For Christmas next year, each will require a separate health certificate.

This year Anja told the BBC that "To begin with, it was a lot of paperwork".  If asked in 2022 she will probably say "Last year I thought that it was a lot of paperwork, but now I know better".