The final Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) for trade in goods, published on 29 August 2023, delays border controls for goods from the EU and sets out when new controls will be introduced to better protect the UK from biosecurity threats and build a world-class border system.

After engaging with stakeholders and considering the implementation challenges they raised, alongside the need to manage biosecurity risks, the UK Government has adapted the timeline it originally published in the draft version of the BTOM in order to give businesses and their supply-chains more time to prepare.

There are three major milestones of BTOM you should pay attention to:

• 31 January 2024 - the introduction of remaining sanitary and phytosanitary controls, as well as full customs controls for non-qualifying Northern Ireland goods,
• 30 April 2024 - the introduction of checks on medium risk animal products, plants, plant products and high risk food (and feed) of non-animal origin from the EU,
• 31 October 2024 (as set out in the original BTOM) - the requirement for Safety and Security declarations for imports into Great Britain from the EU.

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs is running free of charge sector specific online training sessions to prepare traders for the new Sanitary and Phytosanitary import controls (certification and border checks) within the new BTOM, which are available here.

Next upcoming session, scheduled for Thursday, 7 September, at 5:00 PM CET, will delve into the specific implications of the BTOM for horticultural sector. Register here.

We will address the final BTOM and the extension of the recognition of the UKCA and CE markings announced on 1 August at our webinar on 9 November 2023. Stay tuned to our communications for further information on this event.