UK businesses stop shipping to Northern Ireland due to updated rules | Money News Aitrend

Small British businesses have stopped selling to Northern Ireland as well as Europe due to additional administrative hurdles posed by new EU customs rules coming into force.

Many small businesses said they were unable to meet new requirements for paperwork and numbering of each product, as well as the need to have an “authorized representative” in the store. EU Or Northern Ireland.

Conviction and fines mean that business owners who do not have the resources to obtain legal advice are not likely to commit a problem, but simply to stop exports from Northern Ireland and Ireland. EU, a businesswoman told Sky News.

Money Blog: Most Wanted Christmas Gift Revealed

The result is that legislation intended to improve product safety and protect online shoppers – the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) – ends UK deliveries to some buyers in Northern Ireland and Ireland. EU.

Companies have already halted deliveries, although the new laws won’t come into effect until Friday, December 13.

Although no longer a member of the EU since January 2020, Northern Ireland is subject to EU rules by being part of the single marketthe tariff-free bloc of European states. The agreement aimed to prevent the establishment of a hard border between the EU and the UK on the island of Ireland.

Learn more
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol and why is it important?

While some companies have made the difficult decision to end shipments to Northern Ireland and Europe, others have said their hands are tied.

Weirdstock bedding company owner Johanna Haughey-Lewis, herself from Northern Ireland, said she was upset but added: “I don’t feel like I’ve made a decision. You get fined if you don’t follow these rules…I just don’t have the resources to comply, at least not at this point.

Short notice and limited information

The issue has become more uncertain, confusing and more difficult for three business owners Sky News spoke to because they only heard about the customs changes in the past few days or weeks from other business owners. business on social networks. Obtaining clear, relevant and sufficiently detailed information was not easy

“It came out of nowhere,” Ms Haughey-Lewis said. “Everyone is scrambling, even those who we hope will have the answers. »

Although the government has a GPSR webpage, some would have liked more information and to be contacted directly about the changes, rather than receiving information from social media contacts.

Kathryn Hunt, owner of interior design company Kath & Kin, thinks clearer guidance through training, workshops or perhaps allowing businesses to self-certify for certain items could help.

Given that the government has a list of UK companies through Companies House, Bella Longman, owner of handmade clothing business The Daydreamer London, pointed out that she could have been contacted by email as if she received tax return reminders.

“When we do our taxes I have to say how much of my income comes from the EU, it’s crazy that (the government) can’t make a list and just send an email, like ‘did you know What’s this legislation going into? If you want to know more, click here,’ because they’re sending emails like ‘you have to file a tax return,'” she said.

The question of timing

But the timing was always going to be tricky, with the announcement being made during the busy Christmas period.

Most businesses make enough money in November and December to last until January and February, Ms. Longman said, meaning distractions during those months can cost businesses.

“It’s just a very precious time of year and now there’s additional regulation… I can’t do that at the moment,” she said.

Too expensive though

However, some small businesses may never comply with the rules as they currently exist, even with a longer time frame.

Businesses that sell hundreds of items from different suppliers, like Kath & Kin, have realized this simply isn’t possible despite extensive research into solutions, Ms Hunt said.

Items must have a batch or serial number as well as clear instructions and safety information “in a language easily understood by consumers,” the GPSR says.

This has led to UK manufacturers being concerned about having to translate documents into other languages, although the requirement does not apply where they can be used “safely and as intended by the manufacturer” without instructions or information security.

Exporters are also required to keep a record of the origin of the goods.

Unknown scale

Business owners may not yet know the challenges these new rules will pose to their operations.

Watch dealer and components seller Darren Townend said his companies Forstner Bands and Vintage Speedmaster would only be able to discover a problem if a product was held up by customs, potentially for months.

We do not yet know what the economic impact of stopping exports will be.

There will be “a real barrier to internationalization tradesaid the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), but it has no way of quantifying who has been most affected.

A Department of Business and Commerce spokesperson said: “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and therefore central to this government’s growth mission. We have also made it clear that we want to rethink our relationship with the EU to make it easier for businesses to trade with Europe.

“We are helping SMEs across the UK prepare for GPSR and will be publishing more guidance soon. We will keep this issue under review and continue to engage businesses to ensure they are supported to trade freely.

When asked if he had an estimate of its impact on commerce, he did not provide one.

Extra pressure

These obligations come at a time when small businesses are already feeling pressure from cost of living pressures and previous Brexit-related trade changes.

They feel like they’re being hit harder than mid-sized or large businesses that can hire a lawyer to advise them, or possibly absorb additional costs.

“My concern is that if you have the infrastructure and the money to spend, and you know how to do it, you can get away with it,” Ms Hunt said.

“So these big companies are going to thrive, while the small businesses that take care, that take pride in their work, that love what they do, really, really care about their customers, those are the ones that are suffering. “

The time it takes to understand business updates is not time spent making money.

“Any time I’m not working on my business, I’m not making money,” Ms. Longman said.

“How can I set aside a week or two to become compliant and not suffer serious financial consequences? »