HMRC Capable of Handling Post-Brexit Declarations

According to the Loadstar, a wait in the UK’s new Customs Declaration System (CDS) is not likely to cause a disruption in the country’s supply chains, but there is a concern on how post-Brexit operation of UK ro-ro ports are to be handled.

Doubts have been growing over the capability of CDS being able to handle an expected large increase in customs declarations when the UK leaves the EU.

However, a source told the Loadstar that HMRC’s existing CHIEF customs system would be adequate to handle the increased number of entries. The system has gone from being able to process 17 entries per second to 80.

The main concern is with the infrastructure of UK ro-ro ports, as current proposals would see trucks that need to be inspected being diverted to temporary storage.

With ro-ro vessels unloading trucks off in lines and then queueing to be processed by the border agency, temporary storage would need to be located at the border. And if a single truck hasn’t completed an advanced notification the trucks behind would be at a halt.

Currently Dover processes 2,700 trucks a day and one truck could cause major problems.

To find out more about how Customs Insights can provide you with a competitive edge in your supply chain, then please call 01304 211652 or email enquiries@customsinsights.co.uk.