Fees and charging for plant health controls (documentary, identity and physical checks) on imports of EU high-priority plants and plant products was introduced earlier this week on 1 June 2021 in England, Wales and Scotland. From 1 June 2021 all PEACH applications for a category of plants and plant products defined as ‘high priority’ will need to include a Declaration Unique Consignment Reference (DUCR) number.
Fees
To help users of the system understand the process, Defra have produced further guidance on how the fees will be applied and a break-down of the charges. UK government policy is to recover the costs of carrying out official checks to manage risks arising
from commercial activity. This includes the costs of inspections to reduce risks to plant health from the trade in plants and plant produce.
For more information, go to www.bali.org.uk.
Update PEACH system
Since January 2021, pre-notification is required for movement of plants and plant material into the UK from the EU. This pre-notification is undertaken via an internet-based Defra tool called 'Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates' (PEACH). It is necessary to register before using PEACH; see link at bottom of article for more details on how to register.
From 1 June 2021 all PEACH applications for a category of plants and plant products defined as ‘high priority’ will need to include a Declaration Unique Consignment Reference (DUCR) number. The scope of ‘high priority’ plants and plant products is broad, and includes all plants for planting, except for seeds.
Where a single consignment has more than one PEACH entry the same DUCR number should be used on each associated PEACH entry. As importers of high-priority plants and plant products from the EU will be charged fees from 1st June 2021, it is important multiple PEACH entries for a single consignment are linked to ensure charges can be raised correctly.
For more information, go to www.bali.org.uk.