The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) foresees many problems starting April 1 for the export of Dutch agricultural products to Great Britain. That is when the British will start using their Brexit import registration.
From April 1, a specific health certificate will be mandatory for the import of all kinds of agricultural products such as fresh vegetables, flowers, and dairy.
Brexit coordinator Peter Verbaas of the NVWA says shipments without the proper paperwork will encounter problems. He calls April 1 'perhaps the most important Brexit day of the year.' From that date, exports from the European Union (EU) to the UK including flowers, vegetables, and fruit must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. Many veterinary products made from animal raw materials must have a veterinary health certificate.
According to the British procedures, certification of 'high risk products' such as trees, perennial plants, and live animals has been mandatory since January 1. For almost all other agricultural products, the certification requirement applies from April 1. Each product category requires its own veterinary health certificate.
For British agricultural goods exported to the EU, import rules that apply to all non-EU countries have been in effect since January 1, 2021. However, the British have chosen a phased introduction for their imports. This partly causes uncertainty about the details of various export certificates until April 1.
The NVWA feared that some entrepreneurs had only limitedly prepared for the changed import processes. This fear was confirmed earlier this year when several meat shipments had to be stopped. Some shipments were delayed to such an extent that they were no longer fit for human consumption and had to be destroyed.
Verbaas warns that the costs of destruction and the loss of cargo will be borne by the entrepreneur, also after April 1.
The UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is organizing a series of webinars in February and March for companies from the EU exporting products of animal origin to Great Britain (with subtitles in several languages, including Dutch).
Additionally, various webinars are being organized for importers (in Great Britain) of products of animal origin, composite products, and fish and fishery products.