Members can now find the latest Brexit Guidance in the CFA Members Area.

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You can now apply for the SME Brexit Support Fund. Smaller businesses can apply for a grant of up to £2,000 to pay for practical support, including training or professional advice to adjust to new customs, rules of origin and VAT rules when trading with the EU.

Eligible businesses Checklist:

• have been established in the UK for at least 12 months before submitting the application, or currently hold Authorised Economic Operator status;
• not have previously failed to meet tax or customs obligations;
• have no more than 500 employees;
• have no more than £100 million turnover.

This grant can be used for training in the following areas:

• how to complete customs declarations;
• how to manage customs processes and use customs software and systems;
• specific import and export related aspects including VAT, excise and rules of origin;

Build UK is working with the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) to monitor the availability of construction materials post‐Brexit. Most manufacturers have reported that the mitigation strategies they put in place have avoided significant delays or shortages, and they will continue to hold extra stock for the forthcoming quarter to ensure continuity of supply. No material is RAG‐rated ‘red’ and the majority of ‘amber’ items are M&E products, including building management systems, data hub equipment, external luminaires, street lighting, lighting control, pumps, press units and booster sets, which are experiencing delays of up to two weeks although this is expected to be a short‐term problem only.

Other materials rated ‘amber’ are Steel and Timber, which have experienced significant price increases due to supply and demand issues. There has been increased demand from China as it recovers from the impact of coronavirus, as well as challenges with new customs requirements and a lack of transport availability. A risk to manage over the next few months is the increased cost of raw materials, particularly Aluminium, Copper and Methyl Methacrylate (MMA), which are all thought to be coronavirus, rather than Brexit, supply and demand issues.

Business travel and mutual recognition of qualifications are both topics explained in the UK Government's new on demand videos which focus on priority topics for businesses.

You can also download a step-by-step guide on how to navigate the new rules on business travel to the EU.

You can also use the Brexit Checker tool on gov.uk/transition, which will provide you with a personalised list of the most up to date actions that your business needs to take.

Updated links to guidance provided by BEIS are available in the Member Login area for CFA members on a range of topics such as European Commission guidance, Agreements reached between the UK and Northern Ireland and the EU, and The Agenda of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee.

Updated links to guidance provided by BEIS are available in the Member Login area for CFA members on a range of topics such as the Japan Free Trade Agreement, ECMT and GVMS, and RoW Trade.

A comprehensive guidance note on Brexit initiatives such as Rules of Origin and import guidelines is available in the Member Login Area.

As an employer or an employee, it is worth understanding how certain provisions on mobility in the new EU-UK Trade Cooperation Agreement will affect business activities.

There have been many difficulties associated with the pandemic, but one silver lining is that the suppression of movement across the UK and parts of Europe allows more time to understand any changes arising from the UK-EU Trade deal regarding business travel. 

ICAEW has put together links and resources to flag some of these changes to businesses. With all of the below, employers and employees are urged to seek expert advice, as there are other immigration considerations to understand, along with obligations such as social security.

Traders Must Act Now

Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, urges traders to ensure that they are fully ready with the  new rules for trading with the European Union.

Traders are urged to ensure that they are fully ready with the new trading rules, as lorries expected at the GB-EU border, are expected to reach pre-Christmas levels this week. While compliance with the new rules remains high, an increase in border traffic raises the possibility of disruption.

Exporters must provide the right documentation to hauliers,

• including export declarations and the extra certificates needed for products, like plant and animal products,
• hauliers heading to Kent must get a negative Covid test and
• obtain a Kent Access Permit before heading to port, or risk facing a fine and being turned away.

For more information, click here.

The Government published a press release detailing that businesses which make, sell or distribute chemicals into Great Britain will need to follow the UK’s new domestic chemicals regulations including UK REACH from 1 Jan 2021. The ‘Comply with UK REACH’ system will go live and can be used by business to fulfil their transitional provisions and create new registrations. Businesses will be able to use the Comply with UK REACH IT service to:

• Validate existing GB-held EU registrations (‘Grandfathering’);
• Submit downstream user import notifications (DUIN);
• Submit new substance registrations;
• Submit new product and process orientated research and development (PPORD) notifications.

Detailed UK REACH guidance is also available on the Health and Safety Executive website. The chemicals industry, including companies involved in construction products, employs over 100,000 people across the UK and accounts for over £30 billion of exports each year. 

Further information is also available from the British Plastics Federation.