FOB Chief Executive’s Weekly News for 22nd February 2021

Dear All,

Detailed below is the Weekly News for 22nd February dominated by EU Exit guidance.

Have a good week.

Gordon Polson

Chief Executive – Federation of Bakers Ltd

 

UK Output Producer Price Inflation Stood at -0.2% on the Year to Jan’21

According to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), output Producer Price Inflation (PPI) was -0.2% on the year to jan’21, up from -0.5% in dec’20. Meanwhile, the monthly output PPI stood at 0.4% in jan’21, compared to 0.2% in dec’20.

In terms of product groups, petroleum products provided the largest downward contribution of 1.28 percentage points to the output PPI in jan’21. Paper & printing products reported the second largest downward contribution of 0.01 percentage points during the same period.

Meanwhile, input PPI (inflation for materials and fuels purchased by manufacturers) stood at 1.3% during the 12 months to oct’20, compared to 0.6% in dec’20. Metals and non-metallic minerals provided the largest upward contribution of 1.44 percentage points during the same period. The monthly input PPI rate in jan’21 stood at 0.7%, compared to 1.2% in dec’20.

Food Labelling (Environmental Sustainability) Bill

The text of the Food Labelling (Environmental Sustainability) Bill, introduced by Chris Grayling in the Commons last November, has now been published.  When he introduced this Private Members Bill, Mr Grayling explained that it would require food manufacturers to label products to indicate the environmental sustainability of their origins. It would also require Ministers to work with all interested parties to find and introduce a system that empowers consumers to protect our natural environment. No date has been set yet for a Second Reading debate on the Bill, but its future progress, if any, can be followed on its website.

Food Waste Action Week 1-7 March

The UK’s first ever Food Waste Action Week (FWAW) will run from Monday 1 to Sunday 7 March 2021, and will bring together citizens and organisations from retail, manufacturing, local government, hospitality and elsewhere to demonstrate the impact of wasted food on people, on business, and on the planet.
If you’re a business or organisation and are interested in partner assets to support FWAW, please get in touch. Food is a precious resource; working together, we can prevent it being needlessly wasted and protect the planet.

Rules of Origin guidance and webinars

Please find below links to updated Rules of Origin guidance. A recorded webinar is also available on gov.uk, and further sector-specific webinars are listed towards the end of this bulletin.

  • Updated central Defra guidance products. The slides provide more of an overview and introduction to Rules of Origin and the more detailed Defra guidance has some further examples, explanations and an annotated Product Specific Rules table. Both of these products are general to all sectors.
  • Sector specific summary guidance documents. These have also been updated from earlier versions in response to feedback received. These only cover some of the most relevant articles in Rules of Origin and are there to provide a summary as well as relatable industry specific examples.
  • HMRC slide deck. This includes details of the interaction between Rules of Origin (requirements for claiming preferential tariffs) and wider customs procedures, such as RGR (Returned Goods Relief), rules for transit, and inward/outward processing relief.
  • Tariff implications for the movement of Goods from GB to NI. This covers interaction between RoO and ‘at risk’ register.

EU Settlement Scheme

Free movement ended at 23:00 on 31 December 2020. To remain in the UK after 31 December 2020, non-EU and EU citizens will need to have a UK immigration status.
EU citizens, and relevant family members, resident here before the end of 2020, will be eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme. We encourage EU citizens in the UK to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if they have not already done so, there’s still plenty of time. The deadline for applications to the EU Settlement Scheme, for those resident here before the end of 2020, is 30 June 2021. Please visit the gov.uk page for more information: https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families.
A leaflet on EU, EEA and Swiss citizens’ right to work in the UK is also available on gov.uk.
For those arriving from January 2021, they can apply under the new arrangements of the UK’s points-based immigration system.
Points-based Immigration system

On 1 January 2021 the government introduced the new points-based immigration system, under which EU and non-EU citizens are treated equally.

Phase 2 of the Home Office’s communication campaign, to ensure businesses are ready for the new points-based immigration system, is now underway and will run until the end of March 2021. The nationwide marketing campaign will continue to use a wide range of channels to reach employers, including radio, social media, digital, and outdoor advertising.

Phase 2 will build on activity to date, continuing to raise awareness and understanding that there is a new immigration system. The key messages to communicate to businesses are that free movement has now ended and there are new requirements with which audiences must comply. The way UK businesses hire from the EU is changing, and to recruit from outside the UK they will need to be a licensed sponsor.

Please visit the campaign page for more information: GOV.UK/HiringFromTheEU.
Translated information for EU nationals is available here – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-uks-points-based-immigration-system-information-for-eu-citizens

The Home Office has also launched a podcast for businesses which explains the new immigration system and how employers can prepare. The podcast is available to listen via:
Acast , Apple or Spotify

 

Reminder – new documentation requirements starting soon for traders moving P&R goods from GB to NI

If you are moving permitted chilled meats to Northern Ireland, P&R Export Health Certificates (EHCs) will be required from and including 22 February 2021. The guidance found here sets out a reminder on the qualifying criteria and the requirements you will now need to follow for P&R fresh meat, minced meat and meat preparations. This guidance should be followed until the end of the grace period on 30 June 2021.

Join our webinars for importers and EU exporters of food and drink products from the EU to Great Britain

Register for our webinars to find out about changes to importing food and drink, including composite food and fishery products from the EU to Great Britain (GB) from 1 April 2021. This includes a new series for EU exporters and traders of POAO who move these goods to GB (with subtitles in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Polish). The next webinars in the series are:

For EU exporters of POAO who move these goods to GB – 25 February 2021 at 10am (about EU to GB SPS import controls for meat from 1 April)

Travel Exemptions & Self Isolation rules updated

Workers travelling into the UK under one of the existing exemptions are being asked to self-isolate for their first 10 days other than when they are actively working. These rules come into force at 4am on Saturday 20th February

 

Forthcoming webinars for importers

Full details of webinars for importers and EU exporters are available on gov.uk.

Webinar Date Registration Link
Importing Products of Animal Origin (POAO) from the European Union into Great Britain 22/02/2021 14:00-15:00 Register here
Importing Products of Animal Origin (POAO) from the European Union into Great Britain- With a focus on Composites 01/03/2021 14:00-15:00 Register here
Importing Products of Animal Origin (POAO) from the European Union into Great Britain 08/03/2021 14:00-15:00 Register here
Importing Products of Animal Origin (POAO) from the European Union into Great Britain- With a focus on Composites 15/03/2021 14:00- 15:00 Register here
Importing Products of Animal Origin (POAO) from the European Union into Great Britain- With a focus on Fish & Fish Products 22/03/2021 14:00-15:00 Register here
Importing Products of Animal Origin (POAO) from the European Union into Great Britain 29/03/2021 14:00-15:00 Register here

 

Forthcoming Rules of Origin webinars

Sector Specific Guidance Dates Link to event 
At risk goods and UK trader scheme Wednesday 24th February, 12:00 Click here to join the meeting
Meat and Processed Meat Friday 26th Feb, 10.00 Click here to join the meeting
Fish and Processed Fish Monday 1st Mar, 10.00 Click here to join the meeting
Dairy, eggs, honey Thursday 4th March 14:00 Click here to join the meeting
Vegetable, fruit and nuts, and prepared veg, fruit and nuts Monday 1st March, 16:00 Click here to join the meeting
Coffee, tea, spices, miscellaneous Tuesday 2nd March 16:00 Click here to join the meeting
Cereals and Cereal products Wednesday 3rd March, 15:00 Click here to join the meeting
Animal and vegetable fats and oils Wednesday 3rd March 10:00 Click here to join the meeting
Sugar and chocolate Friday 5th March, 12:00 Click here to join the meeting
Drinks Friday 5th March, 10.00 Click here to join the meeting
Animal Feed Friday 5th March, 15:00 Click here to join the meeting
At risk goods and UK trader scheme (second session) Tuesday 2nd March, 11:00 Click here to join the meeting

 

Links to Defra’s Exporter Journey GB to EU Webinars

Links to our recorded webinars on the GB to EU Exporter Journey are now available on YouTube. Please share with anyone who may find this information useful. The topics are:

HMRC Exporting: what you need to do to keep your goods moving: An overview of the actions you need to take now before you export goods from Great Britain to the EU and move goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Key processes include – zero-rated VAT, customs declarations, using an intermediary as well as licences, certificates, and authorisations.

Please register to take part if you’re planning to export.

Customs Import Declarations: An overview: If your business or a business you represent, needs to make customs import declarations on controlled goods and on non-controlled goods by the end of June 2021, our webinar helps you to understand what’s needed for simplified declarations, supplementary declarations, and delayed import declarations.

Please register to take part if you’re planning to import.

Trader responsibilities when using an intermediary: This webinar explains your responsibilities as a trader, if you choose to use an intermediary to complete import or export declarations for your business. These are complex and an intermediary can save you a lot of time.

Please register to take part if you’re planning to import or export.

Importing: What you need to know about Staged Controls: This webinar takes you through the three stages of the new border controls introduced on 1‌‌ ‌January‌‌ ‌2021, and what actions you need to take for each stage.

Please register to take part if you’re planning to import.

You can also:

  • watch our videos on HMRC’s YouTube channel to familiarise yourself with the new customs processes and what you need to do before you trade goods with the EU
  • use the trader checklist to make sure you’re familiar with the new rules that affect you
  • use our updated guides to understand the new customs and VAT requirements when moving goods between the UK and EU countries
  • sign-up to the Trader Support Service if moving goods between GB and Northern Ireland and use their suite of educational products – including online training modules and webinars for support with the Northern Ireland Protocol
  • watch webinars and videos from other government departments to support you
  • you can also sign up to our weekly email updates on ‘News and information about importing and exporting with the EU‘, providing hints and tips for businesses like yours, getting used to the new rules for importing and exporting.