Sponsored Editorial: Produced in association with Kent County Council

Last week saw a coming together of the key agencies involved in getting Kent business ready for the end of the Brexit Transition period on the December 31.

Hosted by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce and funded by Kent County Council and the Kent & Medway Growth Hub, the online event, which attracted a significant number of businesses, aimed to answer both the simple and the complex questions around how things will change in January.

Whether it was complex VAT regime changes, EORI numbers for Northern Ireland or how CE marks will work, the day was packed with expertise and information.

What was evident throughout the day, was the amount of work that has been put in by organisations such as Kent County Council, sector specialists including Locate in Kent, Visit Kent and Produced in Kent and the Chamber to urge and support local businesses to prepare for the rule changes.

All of the presentations and webinar recordings can be found at EU Transition Conference.

Some of the key messages from the day were...

• Food and drink producers will need to have a registered Food Business Operator (physical unit) in the EU that can assume legal and fiscal responsibility
• Customs declarations will need to be done by any business that has supplies from or customers in the EU from the January 1 and the chamber can provide customs advisory, training and brokerage services through the Chamber Customs Service
• If you send goods to Northern Ireland, you’ll need an XI EORI number as well as a UK one
• Kent County Council and its partners have has put in place a vast amount of advice and resources to help businesses navigate the change. Details can be found in the conference videos and presentation downloads

• The Kent Resilience Forum has developed a comprehensive plan for lorry movements through the county
• The Kent Access Permit will be enforced through cameras and apply to any HGV. It will be illegal for port traffic to travel on non-approved roads
• When dealing with suppliers or customers in the EU, you need to agree the Incoterms first so that you can determine who pays VAT or duty
• The CE mark will be phased out in favour of a UKCA mark

As you would imagine this is only a tiny proportion of the detail provided, so if you still have questions or need clarification, call the free service provided by the Kent & Medway Growth Hub on 03333 602 300.

To find out more about preparing for the rule changes, visit the Kent County Council Transition Hub