BTOM Border Checks to be Delayed Again, Says Government

23 September 2024

The final implementation stage of the UK’s new border-check arrangements (the so-called Border Target Operating Model or BTOM) has been delayed yet again, according to the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra). 

Checks on “medium risk” fruit and vegetable products, as they are transported into the UK from the EU, were due to come online by the end of October 2024. Having already been delayed until January 2025, implementation is now being pushed back again, this time to 1 July 2025.  Medium risk fruit and vegetable products will not be subject to border checks until that date.

This is being done “in order to give businesses and traders more time to prepare”, said a Defra spokesperson.   

More fruit and veg to be exempt from checks

At the same time, seven commodity groups are being recategorized from “medium risk” to “low risk”, a move which means they will not be subject to border checks when entering the UK from the EU, Switzerland and Lichtenstein.  Apples and pears are among these reclassified commodity groups.  

The Fresh Produce Consortium welcomed the news, and now estimates that around 80% of fresh fruit and vegetables will be exempt from checks, in the long-term.

However, the implementation of Safety and Security Declarations (SSD) is still slated to go live on 31 October 2024. 

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