The Department of Agriculture Food and Marine have sent Chambers a document that includes information about SPS checks between UK and NI for products arriving into NI. Click here to download

​The EI Brexit Unit has put together a Top 20 Brexit FAQ document with guidance and signposting to relevant information, articles, recorded webinars and links to additional information. Topics include:

• Customs procedures,
• Customs declaration forms,
• Commodity codes,
• EORI in Ireland and the UK,
• Incoterms,
• Trade with Northern Ireland,
• The UK Landbridge
• VAT. 

Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020 extended to 9th June 2021
Continuation of virtual general meetings
Threshold at which a company is deemed unable to pay its debts remains at €50,000
Extension of examinership to 150 days remains in place
The interim period of the Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020 has been extended to 9th June 2021 following Government approval this week. The Act makes temporary amendments to the Companies Act 2014 and the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1893 to address issues arising as a result of Covid-19.  Read More

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's Retail Roundtable have issued the following updates:
 
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) document
A Brexit Notice in relation to storage, distribution, traceability, labelling and identification of food from the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland, which you can download:
CLICK HERE

This document is aimed at food businesses storing or distributing food from the UK, (excluding Northern Ireland) and sets out the requirements of food legislation for the storage/distribution of food as well as the requirements for traceability, labelling and identification of foods.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has sent through customs advice in relation to Irish Ports

Please see below for information:
PDF: Customs Advice from the Revenue Commissioners for Drivers using Dublin Port: CLICK HERE
PDF: Customs Advice from the Revenue Commissioners for Drivers using Rosslare Europort: CLICK HERE
PDF: Six key messages for hauliers from the Dublin Port Company: HERE
WEBINAR: The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine hosted a webinar on 10th December: A Step to Step Guide on how to bring your consignment through Dublin Port which is available to watch on YouTube - CLICK HERE

​Munster Vales will be running a Community Engagement Pilot Programme beginning in January 2021 and you are welcome to participate. The programme will be delivered online in a series of interactive community engagement workshops using Zoom. The workshops will run from January to November and will be facilitated by Cillian Murphy Consulting.
The workshops are designed to:

• raise awareness of tourism, both in general and within the Munster Vales regions,
• identify the vision for each community as to what tourism should deliver for them,
• identifying and discussing the suitability of potential local assets to support the delivery of that vision,
• to identify opportunities to either create tourism businesses themselves or to invite appropriate external partnerships to maximise the community benefit of those assets

• to guide the tourism industry locally as to what developments are considered to be appropriate and will have the support of the wider community

The outcomes for this work should include:

• engaging with wider non tourism communities in each region of the Munster Vales (MV) tourism destination,
• building relationships,
• opening clear communication channels,
• building trust,
• identifying potential opportunities, and risks, for both the tourism and non tourism communities,
• raising awareness of the potential of tourism,
• empowering community groups/clusters and creating an atmosphere where everyone is comfortable and confident in discussing how tourism can be best used to create a sustainable future for where they live

In short, this process will deliver a clear sense of local ownership with regards to tourism for the communities involved and a toolbox that will equip Munster Vales, and the industry, to make more community focussed decisions for the future.
Please register your interest via email triona.omahony@tipperarycoco.ie or phone 087-1189206 for more information.

The action taken by the ECB is welcome news. This injection of funding will help maintain liquidity and the low interest rates which are available to Eurozone member states like Ireland, allowing us to support our high level of public service, employment supports, and economic stimulus programmes through this period of straitened fiscal returns.
This move by the ECB highlights the strength of being part of a strong, dynamic and collaborative community of nations which take concerted, collective action when faced with problems that exceed the capacity of individual members to manage. While some believe that even greater resources could have been made available, County Tipperary Chamber welcomes ECB’s President Lagarde’s commitment to making further PEPP credit available should such an expansion be needed. This boost in liquidity will provide support for essential government spending that will help minimise the economic impact and financial burden on households and businesses.
The policy of supporting banks through the lending of money to them at negative rates, conditional upon them continuing to lend money to businesses and consumers, will also reinforce the resilience of the Eurozone. This unprecedented support from the ECB highlights the key role that the EU has to play in supporting member state economies as they reckon with turmoil caused by exogenous, external factors which harm our wellbeing.
In light of the deepening divisions which have emerged over the last few weeks during the EU/UK trade negotiations there is a hard, and probably chaotic, Brexit looming in January. Even if a minimal trade deal is agreed this week there will be a dramatic effect on the Eurozone economy, an effect which will be most deeply felt in Ireland. In the best-case scenario, businesses here that trade with, or source supplies from, Britain are going to experience a level of disruption which has not been seen since World War II.
 
Today’s announcement will ensure that even if Britain leaves on World Trade Organisation terms, the cost of the deficit borrowing that Ireland is likely to need next year should not be detrimental to the long-term sustainability of our public finances.”

By Ciarán McConigley and Martin Agnew – Directors, Across Borders Consulting Ltd.
Though Brexit has been a legal reality since the 31st of January 2020, people and business in Ireland have largely been insulated from the consequences because of the existence of the 11-month long transition period taking us to the end 2020. This continues to bind the UK to the EU customs union, single market and rules meaning little has practically changed.
The 31st of December will mark the beginning of a new trading reality for business in Tipperary that they will need to adapt to moving forward. While we await the outcome of negotiations at the time of this article, there are steps businesses in Tipperary can and should be taking now to prepare for a “Deal” or “No-Deal” outcome.
Current status
The EU and UK are engaged in ongoing Free Trade Agreement negotiations, and at the time of writing this article we await a decision on these negotiations for the end of the year. It is important for businesses to be aware that a Free Trade Agreement would minimise tariffs but will not mean customs controls will not be introduced. There will be controls regardless.
In addition, a Free Trade Agreement does not necessarily mean all customs tariffs will be removed for products moving between Great Britain and Ireland. These details are subject to line by line agreement of product classification duty rates in negotiations.
Given these facts, companies need to make the same preparations, regardless of whether or not a Free Trade Agreement is in place from the end of this year.
Who will be affected?
The end of the transition period will mean business in Ireland that are:

• sourcing products from Great Britain (“GB”);
• selling products to GB;
• sourcing/selling products from Europe that pass through the British landbridge;

will have customs reporting, documentation and information obligations.
What companies need to do
With such a small-time frame left to prepare, the one certainty we know is that goods moving between the UK and Ireland will be subject to customs control from 01 January 2021.
Companies must prepare now.
Irish Companies receiving products from and sending products to/through Great Britain should take the following critical actions:

• Undertake a review of their supply chains to understand how the end of the Brexit transition period will impact them and understand how they will submit customs declarations to the authorities;
• Develop the required knowledge to identify and communicate accurate information to Revenue on impacted goods flows and calculate what the potential financial impact will be due to any introduction of customs duties and import VAT;
• Put in place the relevant authorisations and facilities to pay import duties/VAT;
• Seek approval from Revenue for the required facilitations and certifications to operate efficiently and cost effectively to mitigate any negative impacts;
• Assign Tariff Classification codes to products;
• Determine the Origin and Customs Values of products;
• Identify and implement customs duty saving opportunities to stay competitive
• Obtain required import and export licenses/authorisations for controlled products

Supports are available from government agencies and it may be necessary to seek expert advice to make these decisions because, ready or not, on January the first 2021 a new trading reality dawns for Irish business.
 
About Across Borders Consulting Ltd.
Across Borders Consulting specialises in providing customs and trade advice to companies preparing for Brexit and have a presence in Tipperary. Please contact us around any aspect of your preparations for the new trading reality and for assistance to access Brexit financial supports.
Across Borders Consulting Ltd.
info@abconsulting.ie
www.abconsulting.ie
​

Time is running out to avail of this grant from Enterprise Ireland which closes on 15th December.
This grant provides companies with financial assistance to cover the costs of taking on much needed additional customs clearance staff, which will be required when Brexit becomes a reality on the 1st January 2021.
This is a cash limited scheme of up to €20m, with the following financial support available:
A grant of €9,000 to support the recruitment or redeployment of a full-time1 employee into a dedicated customs role.
A grant of €4,500 to support the recruitment or redeployment of a part-time2 employee into a dedicated customs role.
Check eligibility by clicking on the link below:
www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/funding-supports/Brexit/Ready-for-Customs/Overview.html