Agri-food exporters are being urged to sharpen their focus when it comes to preparing for, and meeting, new UK import-control requirements due to come into effect on July 1.
At the 28th meeting of Consultative Committee of Stakeholders on Brexit, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, said there is no room for complacency if businesses want to minimise disruption to their supply chains.
“We are now less than three months away from another set of significant changes to the post-Brexit trading environment with the UK,” the minister said.
“Food exporters to Britain must prepare for these changes. They must make sure that their businesses and, in particular, the relevant staff, are fully aware of the new UK requirements, and that they have the detailed plans and processes in place all along their supply chains to Britain in order to meet these requirements.
“This is especially the case in relation to pre-notification and health certification requirements,” he advised.
The Minister also highlighted concerns he has in relation to some of the feedback that his department has received from recent training provided to food businesses.
Sich feedback, he indicated, suggests a lack of engagement and lack of preparedness by some of these businesses, despite the short period of time remaining.
“My department has been communicating in a comprehensive manner through a variety of fora, and using a variety of channels, about the upcoming changes.
“Extensive training opportunities have been made available, learnings from trials have been disseminated, and intensive one-to-one engagement with individual food business operators have taken place.
“However, recent training provided by my department on the use of the new TRACES NT system has highlighted a lack of the necessary engagement or awareness on the part of many businesses at what is quite a late stage in the preparatory process,” he said.
TRACES NT
This is the European Commission’s digital certification and management platform for all sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, supporting the importation of animals, animal products, food and feed of non-animal origin and plants into the European Union.
Minister McConalogue said he is urging agri-food businesses in the “strongest possible terms” to engage, first of all, with their local department veterinary supervisory teams on the detailed processes that will be necessary to ensure the most effective operating arrangements.
Secondly, he is advising agri-food businesses to maximise every opportunity to participate in the many further training sessions being provided by the DAFM.
The DAFM will be rolling out a further series of information and training events for food businesses and other stakeholders in Ireland-GB supply chains after Easter, the minister confirmed.