There is that song of Paul Simon Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover. If BREXIT was one of these fifty ways, it would have been probably the worst and most chaotic one. We live it.
Almost one month into the TRUE BREXIT (the transition period expired on 31. December 2020) we have already started facing the consequences. Companies dealing with Animal By-Products had to find out that almost nothing had been done to regulate the goods flow. There is some kind of a plan but nobody is sure about how it will work indeed. The guidance provided on www.gov.uk kept me busy reading through pages and topics until I happily discovered references to EU regulation 1774/2002 that was repealed in 2009. Lucky me!
As we all have to handle the situation here a few things to consider before you send an animal by-products shipment over the EU / UK border.
- Import licenses issued outside of the UK cannot be used in the UK. Equally, licenses issued in the UK cannot be used in the EU27 anymore.
- Third Country Health Certificates issued to an EU entity cannot be used in the UK. Vice-versa, Health Certificates issued to an UK entity cannot be used in the EU27.
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For the time being, most of the ABP shipments may cross the border if accompanied by a Commercial Document. This is going to change however and by latest July 1st a Veterinary Health Certificate will be required as well.
My advice – make sure you get a veterinary certificate from your local vet even now. It won’t harm and may keep you out of trouble. - Category 1 Animal By-Products are mostly un-welcome in the UK! Talking about Cat 1 products we think about most bovine blood products of US origin that the EU classified this way long ago for reasons we will not discuss here. Bottom line – check all documents and labels if your shipment contains US origin bovine blood products.
- The UK port conditions and the general transport situation continues to be difficult. We still recall the long lines of stranded trucks around Christmas. If you have any perishable goods to ship across the UK / EU border packing a parcel on dry ice is not the best idea. You don’t know how long it may take.
Last but not least – be prepared for the unexpected. We all need luck as the situation is constantly changing and will continue that way. Well, we learned this lesson already thanks to COVID, but that’s another story…
In any case, if you think about leaving your lover the BREXIT way please think twice. The consequences are tough on both ends.
If you only need assistance for your Animal By-Products – contact us. We are here to help.
