The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) has drawn its members’ attention to the latest information from Defra’s Plant Health Portal, and pointed out that from June this year, fees will be charged for the implementation of plant health controls.
BALI points out that, ‘Charging for documentary, identity and physical checks on imports of EU high-priority plants and plant products will be introduced in England, Wales and Scotland from 1st June 2021.
‘The existing process for importing plants, plant products and other objects from the EU ensures importers can check whether material is subject to pre-notification. Material requiring pre-notification is logged on PEACH (and in due course IPAFFS), with charging based on a Declaration Unique Consignment Reference (DUCR) number. The DUCR will cover the entire import of one consignment, from one exporter to one importer. Charges will be raised for document, identity and physical checks and, where appropriate, the submission and diagnosis of samples.’
In England and Wales, the charges are set out in the Plant Health etc. (Fees) (England) Regulations 2018 (as amended) and the Plant Health etc. (Fees) (Wales) Regulations 2018, respectively. The import inspection fees for goods imported from the EU into England and Wales are the same and are shown in Annex B of this document. In Scotland, fees for EU goods are set out in the Plant Health (Import Inspection Fees) (Scotland) Regulations 2014 (as amended).
According to Defra, one Documentary Check fee will be charged for each phyto included under the DUCR (or CHED PP), and one physical inspection fee and one identity check fee will be charged for each ‘Commodity Group’ for each DUCR (or CHED PP). If there is more than one line on an application that falls within the same ‘Commodity Group’ then there will just be a single charge for that group. A ‘Commodity Group’ is each plant, plant product or other object description in column 1 of Schedule 1 in Annex 1. Where a consignment is subject to a reduced level of check, then the physical inspection and identity check fee is charged at the same percentage rate for that commodity.