Registration requirements for UK importers
Traders wishing to import plants and plant products to the UK must meet the registration
requirements set out in Article 65 of the Plant Health Regulation 2016/2031.
All professional operators must supply via their PEACH account, either:
• a valid UK registered address; or
• a valid UK registered proxy address
Registration of third country importers will no longer be accepted by Defra after 30th May 2020. Failure to fulfil the new requirement by 30th July 2020 will lead to de-registration of the trader account on PEACH.
UK registered address
Traders importing plants and plant products must establish a registered UK business premises or office and supply a valid name, address and contact details via their PEACH/IPAFFS account.
The new requirements do not require professional operators to have staff on site at all times, however the business premises or office must be contactable and accessible for visits if required by plant health officials for audit purposes. A rented business premises or office would be sufficient to meet these new requirements.
UK registered proxy address
A representative who is based in the UK, such as a customs clearing agent, may be appointed on behalf of a non-UK trader who has no physical presence in the UK. This arrangement would enable the third country trader (‘importer’) not to be based in the UK, by using a designated proxy that holds a UK address. Legal ownership of the consignment would remain with the importer; however, the proxy representative would be responsible for the introduction of plants and plant products into the UK until they have reached their first place of destination and are therefore obliged to fulfil certain plant heath import requirements on behalf of the importer (see below). An importer may register with multiple proxies.
Responsibilities of the proxy representative:
• Must be a UK based custom clearing agent or business and maintain a physical business premises or office in the UK and provide a valid name, address and contact details via their PEACH /IPAFFS account
• Be able to provide documents and records for audit checks and inspections when required by the competent authority
• Take full liability for any plant health fees related to import activities
• For consignments that require presentation to a Border Control Post (BCP) upon arrival in the UK, the proxy or their representative must notify the competent authority of the consignments arrival, and present the consignment to the competent authority or plant health checks at the BCP
The declared name and address of consignee used on the phytosanitary certificate must be formatted as follows:
Anon Exporter Third Country Produce
C/o Joe Smith Freight Services
Nowhere Industrial Estate
1 Unknown Road
Some Town
City
SWXX 3XX
How to register as a UK importer
Traders must register on PEACH or IAPFFS to import plants and plant products to the UK.
Registration on IPAFFS
Please follow the below guidance on how to register for IPAFFS and set up a proxy address.
1. Accessing IPAFFS
Access the IPAFFS homepage and login via your Government Gateway account. If you do not have Government Gateway credentials, please click the ‘create sign in details’
You will be required to confirm your email address through a validation code
2. Create a Defra account
You will need to make sure you are signed up to Defra services, which is done at the point of registration. If you are a non-UK business you will need to do the following steps:
Although you are not a UK business you will have to select UK. You will be prompted later to input your proxy’s details. If you select non-UK then you will be unable to progress for the application.
This should be your name as the non-UK entity not the name of your proxy
This should be your contact number, not the contact number of your proxy
This should be the name of your non-UK business
You need to enter the address manually, so click on the provided link.
If you search for your proxy’s address using the address finder it will not display correctly and may lead to your consignment being delayed at the border
You need to insert C/O before adding the proxy business name
These need to be the details of your proxy
3. Once you have submitted your registration request, you will also need to send an email to aphaservicedesk@apha.gov.uk
stating the name, address and contact details of your UK based proxy to verify they will act as such, in the following format (see below). Please also copy your proxy to this email.
“I, Company XX (responsible person at third country business), confirm that
Company YY (UK based proxy) will act as our UK based proxy for all matters concerning
plant health controls. Company YY have agreed to take on the professional operator
responsibilities specific to UK plant imports, on our behalf. Please find the required proxy
contact details below:
Proxy name: Company YY
Proxy address: Nowhere Industrial Estate, 1 Unknown Road, Some Town, City, SWXX 3XX
Proxy telephone number: 01234 567 890”
The email must be sent from the email address provided on your registration request. This will allow the Helpdesk to validate the request and create the necessary links in PEACH between your business and your UK based proxy.
4. Continue with the registration process
Registration on PEACH
1. Access the PEACH homepage. Please use Internet Explorer 11 or later for compatibility
reasons.
2. Select the link ‘If you have never been registered to PEACH. Click here to register your
business.’
3. You will be presented with the page below.
• For UK based traders, continue to step 4
• For non UK based traders using the services of a UK proxy, skip ahead to step 5
4. For traders with a UK registered address, enter your full business name, address and
contact information. Review and click ‘Register Business’. PEACH Help desk will review your
registration within one working day. No further steps are required.
5. For non UK based traders using the services of a UK based proxy, please complete the
registration details as follows:
• The contact details (name, telephone and email address) you supply should be your
own and not those of your proxy
• Complete your full business name
• Address line 1 – insert ‘C/o’ followed by the business name of your proxy
• Address lines 2, 3, town, county and postcode should be those of your proxy
• Business type should be ‘Trader’
Review and click ‘Register Business’. PEACH Helpdesk will review your registration within
one working day.
6. Once you have submitted your registration request, you will also need to send an email to aphaservicedesk@apha.gov.uk
stating the name, address and contact details of your UK based proxy to verify they will act as such, in the following format (see below). Please also copy your proxy to this email.
“I, Company XX (responsible person at third country business), confirm that
Company YY (UK based proxy) will act as our UK based proxy for all matters concerning
plant health controls. Company YY have agreed to take on the professional operator
responsibilities specific to UK plant imports, on our behalf. Please find the required proxy
contact details below:
Proxy name: Company YY
Proxy address: Nowhere Industrial Estate, 1 Unknown Road, Some Town, City, SWXX 3XX
Proxy telephone number: 01234 567 890”
The email must be sent from the email address provided on your registration request. This will allow the Helpdesk to validate the request and create the necessary links in PEACH between your business and your UK based proxy.
Registration requirements for UK importers: Frequently Asked Questions
1. My UK based proxy has been de-registered on PEACH, what will happen to my registration account?
If your UK based proxy is de-registered on PEACH, your registration account will not be automatically de-registered. However, your link on PEACH to that proxy will be removed therefore, you may be unable to continue with plant import activities if your proxy is no longer valid.
You must immediately supply the name, address and contact details of your new, valid proxy to aphaservicedesk@apha.gov.uk to inform CIT of the change. Your registration account will be updated accordingly, and you will be notified when the changes are complete.
2. I act as a UK based proxy. A non-UK based importer I represent has been deregistered on PEACH. Will my account also be de-registered?
No, the de-registration of a non-UK importer does not automatically result in the deregistration of the UK based proxy associated with that account.
3. I am a non-UK based trader wishing to import plants and products to the UK. I do not intend to establish a UK presence, or plan to use a UK based proxy. What will happen to my account?
From 30th July 2020 all plant and product importers registered on PEACH must have either:
• a valid UK registered address
• a valid UK registered proxy address
Failure to do so will lead to de-registration of your PEACH account and you will be unable to continue importing plants and products to the UK, in accordance with Article 66(6) of the Plant Health Regulation (EU) 2016/2031.
4. I am not based in the UK and currently use the services of more than one agent to import plants and products. Can I continue doing this?
Yes, as a non UK based trader you may use the services of more than one proxy to import plants and products to the UK. You must register separately on PEACH and IPAFFS for each proxy. For example, if you plan on using the services of three different UK proxies, you must register on PEACH and IPAFFS and supply the relevant proxy details three separate times.
5. Do I need to hold a UK bank account in order to register as a professional operator on PEACH or IPAFFS?
No, you are not required to hold a UK bank account under professional operator requirements as set out in the Plant Health Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. A non-UK based bank account is sufficient.
6. I am a foreign trader that only trades in Green Bananas (Musa sp.) that are subject to HMI marketing checks but not plant health controls under the Plant Health Regulation. Do I need a UK address, or to register with the services of a proxy?
No, if you trade only in Green Bananas which do not require official plant controls then you are not required to register with a UK address, nor use the services of a UK based proxy.
However, if you import any other commodities that would require plant health controls, then you must make the changes to comply with the regulations.
7. Some of my professional operator registration details are out of date (e.g. my proxy address details have changed). How do I update my details on PEACH? Please follow these steps to update your registration details.
1. Log in to your account via the PEACH login. Select the link ‘log in and manage my account’, followed by the link ‘manage my services’. Update your details accordingly. Review and click to save your changes.
Send an email to aphaservicedesk@apha.gov.uk confirming the changes that you have made. If you are a non UK based trader using the services of a proxy, please also copy your proxy to this email, and confirm the changes using the format below. The email must be sent from the email address provided in your registration details in order for PEACH Helpdesk to validate the change.
“I, Company XX (responsible person at third country business), confirm that Company YY (UK based proxy) will act as our UK based proxy for all matters concerning plant health controls. Company YY have agreed to take on the professional operator responsibilities specific to UK plant imports, on our behalf. Please find the updated proxy contact details below:
Proxy name: Company YY
Proxy address: Nowhere Industrial Estate, 1 Unknown Road, Some Town, City, SWXX 3XX
Proxy telephone number: 01234 567 890”
8. Does my proxy need to be based in the UK?
Yes, your proxy needs to be based in the UK and have a valid UK registered address. At the end of the registration process you will need to follow the steps detailed in question 7 to confirm that your proxy is able to operate on your behalf.
9. Can I use a proxy for my agent?
No, proxies can only be used in place of importers, any agent making applications for imports of plants and plant products must be based in the UK. Therefore you can not have a proxy based importer combined with another non-UK based proxy agent.