Northern Ireland businesses urged to make use of available resources to adapt to new trading rules

Northern Irish businesses are being urged to take advantage of the available resources to help them adapt to new trading rules which came into force on 1 January following the end of the Brexit transition period.

There is a wide range of free support available to help businesses comply with the new arrangements and avoid potential disruption.

Businesses should take action immediately in order to make sure they do not fall foul of the rules.

Firstly, firms should assess their exposure to changes. There are free tools available to assess where businesses will need to make changes, including Invest NI’s EU Exit Resilience Tool and the UK government’s Brexit checker tool at gov.uk/transition. This will provide firms with a personalised list of actions to take.

Businesses should also register for the Trader Support Service (TSS), which will provide free training and support relating to customs processes that will arise for goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Trader Support Service can provide support in registering for an EORI number, understanding Incoterms and in making declarations for goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Firms that trade with Great Britain should ensure they have an EORI number and commodity codes for goods that are bought or sold.

From 1 January, businesses will also need to make declarations and may need to pay any tariffs due when bringing goods into Northern Ireland from Great Britain or from countries outside of the EU.

Exporters and importers are also being advised to speak to hauliers and shippers, and find out whether the goods being traded will routinely move through Dublin port, as processes will be different for goods that travel via Ireland.

Alan Lowry, managing director of Newtownabbey, Co Antrim-based Environmental Street Furniture, said he had prepared for the new rules and urged other businesses operating in Northern Ireland to “familiarise yourselves with the necessary procedures as best you can".

He said: “Try to use knowledgeable haulage companies and carriers. Ensure your logistics team are aware of what is needed for paperwork and processing.

“We have been actively involved with the TSS from its inception and were one of the first companies to be registered on it.

“We let them know about all our trading partners in GB and they made contact with them directly to make them aware of what needed to be done. This helped us considerably.

“Since the end of the transition period, we have been in contact with them on three occasions regarding EORI, commodity codes and VAT and they have helped us on all occasions.  We have found them to be accessible, helpful and knowledgeable.”

He said the Invest NI’s EU Exit Resilience Tool and the UK government’s Brexit checker tool had “allowed us to ensure all our paperwork and invoices were correctly set up with the new information required for processing”.