From 1 January 2022, you must pre-notify your consignment via IPAFFS or PEACH
From 1 January 2022, all POAO and ABP consignments must be pre-notified on IPAFFS, and all plants and plant products categorised as ‘regulated and notifiable’ will need to be pre-notified on either IPAFFS or the PEACH system.
If you are new to the process of pre-notifying plants and plant products, you should register and use IPAFFS from 1January 2022, otherwise please continue using PEACH until you are directed to move to IPAFFS during the course of 2022.
To register to use the IPAFFS system traders will need to set up a Government Gateway account and create a Defra account. A training video and guidance on how to create and complete a pre-notification on IPAFFS is available on our microsite.
Please contact the APHA’s service desk for support at aphaservicedesk@apha.gov.uk or call 03300 416 99.
Defra Pre-notification
You must pre-notify your consignment to Defra at least four-hours in advance of arriving into Great Britain. The four-hour requirement will remain in place until 30 June 2022 for POAO/ABP and indefinitely for plants and plant products.
From 1 July 2022, the information required for notifying consignments of POAO/ABP will change and additional fields will need to be completed. We will provide you with these details in due course.
Share your notification reference with whoever deals with customs for you to complete your customs declaration
From 1 January 2022, staged customs controls are ending on goods imported from the EU to Great Britain, except for goods moving from Ireland to Great Britain where existing arrangements will remain. This means that when staged customs controls end, goods must be accompanied by a full custom import declaration that is submitted as the goods are imported.
Your customs agent will need to include your IPAFFS or PEACH notification reference number as a licence number following the country code and licence type CVD in Box 44 on CHIEF or in the document identifier segment of DE 2/3 (Documents produced) on CDS following the country code and licence type CHD.
In box 44 or DE 2/3, the CHED document code should still be used to reflect the commodity (live animals, plants and plant products, high risk foods and animal products) that you are importing to ensure successful tariff validation.
You need to ensure that you share the IPAFFS or PEACH notification reference number with your customs agent. Your customs agent must enter this number to submit the declaration. Failure to notify and provide this information will delay your custom agent’s ability to complete the declaration and could therefore delay the departure of your consignment.
If you encounter any difficulties with the process above and you or your customs agents are unable to generate an IPAFFS or PEACH reference number, you can enter the document status code XW (waiver) into box 44 on your CHIEF customs declaration, in line with the guidance below:
- For products subject to Horticulture Marketing Standards - declare doc code N002; status code: XW; licence reference: GBCON; Reason text: ‘EU import’
- For plants and plant products regulated for plant health purposes - declare doc code N851; status code: XW; licence reference: GBPHC; Reason text: ‘EU import’
- For live animal imports - declare doc code C640; status code XW; licence reference GBCVD; Reason text: ‘EU import’
- For high risk food not of animal origin - declare doc code N852; status code XW; licence reference GBCED; Reason text: ‘EU import’
- For Products of Animal Origin - declare doc code N853; status code XW; licence reference GBCVD; Reason text: ‘EU import’
- For IUU caught fish - declare doc code C673; status code XW; licence reference GBIUU; Reason text: ‘EU import’
Note: For CDS users, the licence type entered should be CHD and for HRFNAO the doc code is C678.
This does not remove the need to complete your pre-notification and you should seek advice from the APHA Service Desk by emailing APHAServiceDesk@apha.gov.uk or calling 03300 416 99 if you cannot complete the process.
Please contact HMRC if you need support with your customs declaration.
For more information on customs requirements from 1 January 2022, for CHIEF users please refer to: UK Trade Tariff: imports and community transport inwards - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and for CDS users, please refer to UK Trade Tariff: volume 3 for CDS - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)