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Goods Movement barcodes a must from January, warns courier

[ December 16, 2021   //   Chris ]

Hauliers will be responsible for ensuring their drivers have a Goods Movement Reference (GMR) barcode, in addition to the Transit Accompanying Document (TAD) and Movement Reference Number (MRN) barcode, warns courier Speedy Freight.

Although easy to produce, via the Government website, the new GMR barcodes are only valid for the exact time, ferry and goods that have been logged on the Government system. If the vehicle entered is replaced, or if a driver needs to change route for any reason, a new barcode must be provided in situ or the goods will not clear customs.

Businesses importing live animals and food products, such as farm animals or eggs, must report their imports through the government’s Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS system) prior to arriving at the border, or they will be denied entry. It is likely that there will also be an increase in physical checks at the border, says Speedy. When similar regulations were introduced for exports in January 2021, delays of up to 48 hours were common.

As well next month’s changes, live animal exports and food products are due to be hit by even more regulations in July 2022; all such imports will be subject to document, identity and physical checks at the border, rather than just ‘high risk’ shipments.

Speedy Freight has published a series of guides designed to make the upcoming changes more manageable for importers including jargon busters, date charts and custom zone explainers, along with a Brexit checklist.

Tags: Speedy Freight