Scope of pilot commodities

Details of the plant commodities that are in and out-of-scope of the pilot are set out below. Those commodities out-of-scope should not apply for the AOS pilot.  

Commodities in-scope: 

• Plants for Planting 
• Produce including Cut Flowers 
• Used Agricultural and Forestry Machinery (UAFM)  

Commodities out-of-scope:

• Potatoes
• Seeds 
• Grain 
• Wood and wood products 

Eligibility criteria

Businesses seeking to participate in the pilot will need to comply with the following criteria:  

1. Be established in the UK: AOs will need to established in the UK for customs purposes, as well as registered with the relevant UK plant health service   
2. Appoint at least two Authorised Persons and one Person Responsible. The Authorised Person(s) will perform the physical and identity import examinations. The Person Responsible will act as the central point of contact and have overall accountability for the organisation’s AO status 
3. Comply with Competent Authority Inspection Management System (IMS): AOs will be supplied with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) outlining the procedures that they will need to follow   
4. Must be a Control Point (CP) designated premises and have the associated customs authorisation: AOs must have a premise which is designated, and customs authorised as a CP to enable goods to move away from the border to the AO’s site for their import checks in a bio-secure manner.  
5. Authorised Person(s) must complete training and demonstrate competence through Competent Authority assessment to be able to carry out inspections: the Authorised Person(s) must complete training and pass all module based and face-to-face assessments. 
6. Participate in systematic audits as well as risk-targeted visits to ensure comprehensive oversight. Audits will be undertaken during the pilot, businesses handling plants for planting can expect to be audited a minimum of 6 times. Unscheduled audits may be conducted where non-compliance is suspected.