The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has presented key recommendations to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, regarding the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The association expressed concerns about high operational costs, administrative burdens, and a lack of clarity on business-to-business deliveries.
In a letter addressed to Benn, the RHA called for simplification of processes, particularly for Just-In-Time (JIT) goods, and urged for industry involvement in reforms to trade regulations between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“We are committed to working alongside you to help produce durable solutions which work for all to enhance Northern Ireland’s economy— whilst maintaining supply chains and minimising the impact on business and consumers,” said Richard Smith, Managing Director of the RHA.
Smith emphasised hauliers’ critical role in facilitating trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the importance of maintaining a robust and efficient supply chain to support the UK economy.
While he acknowledged recent comments from Benn indicating that disruptions would be minimal due to mitigations and the Windsor Framework, Smith noted that the industry’s experience has been different.
He raised concerns about the steps businesses must take when shipping certain goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and warned that challenges may increase with the changes set to come into effect in March 2025.
The RHA has requested a meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary to further discuss their concerns and proposed solutions.
The UK Government also confirmed that it will not proceed with mandatory “not for EU” labelling in Great Britain as of 1 October 2024. However, the government plans to develop legislation for applying such labelling in the future, if necessary.
RHA’s recommendations:
- Strengthening stakeholder engagement by including road haulage operators in discussions on GB-NI trade and reforms to the Windsor Framework.
- Providing exemptions for Just-In-Time (JIT) goods and creating a new declaration category.
- Eliminating the £2 million threshold for manufacturers and introducing exemptions for businesses that guarantee non-EU destinations for their consignments.
- Changing the default customs position from “at risk” to “not at risk” and requiring businesses to declare goods subject to customs entries.
- Removing the requirement for the United Kingdom Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) and simplifying customs declarations for affected businesses.
- Replacing border declarations with a simplified business reporting model, potentially using data from existing customs submissions. Additionally, consumer deliveries to Northern Ireland should be exempt from customs obligations to create a level playing field.