UK customs requirements

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hello,
I'd like to send a few tropaeolum seeds to a scottish grower ( and only tropaeolum ). It's a bit difficult for me because I'm not used to deal with all these  new customs regulations and phytosanitary requirements. I've visited the DEFRA website and browsed the BTOM risk categorisations on plants and seeds sent from the EU ( I'm from FRANCE ). I didn't find  tropaeolum in the list, so could assume seeds of this genus would be considered as "at low risk". It is quoted that no phytosanitary certificate would then be needed in this low risk category.
But I'd like to be sure of it. I don't want the seeds to be destroyed by the UK customs.
Please can anyone help?
Thanks a lot!
Jean-Patrick

[Yann]

Hi Jean-Patrick, there's almost no risks. For several months uk customs have changed rules about nuts and seeds (defra updates). You can simply declare nuts or food seeds, rice on packet. They don't need phyto certificate.
Tropaelum aren't in defra as high risk species, so you can ship.
Some brexit rules are stupid, you can't import Vicia seeds for vegetale use but orher Vicia are allowed, however all species host 3 diseases...

[ashley]

Yann, do you think that EU donors will now be able to send seed to the exchange independently as we did before Brexit, rather than collectively with a phyto cert as seemed necessary last year?

[Yann]

For large shipping phyto will ne mandatory.
Customs are lax but not for large order or in our case centralised donation.
I work each day with customs and i often talk with english, dutch officers i can ensure they don't care for few packets of seeds.
At our company we export roll of plants for our garden center customers, sometimes 1 or 2 rolls are missing on the phyto papers and they reach uk retailers without problem.
It's always riskey off course.

[ashley]

Thanks Yann.

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Many thanks Yann!

[Véronique Macrelle]

what do you call a small quantity of seeds (an order of magnitude?)
 Seeds can be sent undeclared by ordinary letter post?

is this also true in the other direction, from UK to EU?

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

Hello,
I'm pleased to report that my tropaeolum seeds ( 4 small packets ) have quickly reached Scotland ( within 3 days!!! ).
I've fulfilled the customs declaration ( CN23 at my French post office ), listing the species included.
It's been surprisingly easy...

[bainbridges]

Hello folks

A quick update on the seed import and export position....

We've been reading the latest updates from Defra...  Not very clear, but we think that imports to the UK from the EU will not need a phyto this year.  We think that imports from the rest of the world probably will need a phyto.  Exports to the EU from the UK are unchanged, so we think we will need a phyto to do this.

We are in the process of checking the detail with the Scottish Agency and will let everyone know as soon as we are certain of the position...

Ian B for the Seed Team

[Vinny 123]

I import plants and seeds pretty regularly and get all the DEFRA emails.

Sending material into the UK from the EU was best described as a mess until April(?) this year. In theory everything now needs a phyto'.
They still have to be found though, which for seed is not gauranteed. However, I had a very small jiffy bag of seeds sent by mail, opened by Plant Health (resealed with their tape), 2 years ago, before anything was needed and nothing was included.

Now, anything found without paperwork will be confiscated. It can take up to several weeks for the recipient to be told that their seed/plants are no more.

[Jeffnz]

At east if incoming seed packets are impounded you do at least get a letter from an official source advising you of the impounding and then what options are available to you as the intended recipient, seed returned to sender, seed ID to been enlarged upon and seeds destroyed.

[Vinny 123]

At east if incoming seed packets are impounded you do at least get a letter from an official source advising you of the impounding and then what options are available to you as the intended recipient, seed returned to sender, seed ID to been enlarged upon and seeds destroyed.

Not in the UK. No paperwork, the shipment is destroyed. (Been there, done that etc. etc.).

If there is any other problem, the shipment is returned to the sender, although I suspect that infestation with some particular problem pest etc., the shipment would go for incineration faster than PDQ.

[Vinny 123]

I should perhaps add that a phyto' has been required for imports into the UK from outside of the EU for a very long time.

The shipment of mine that was destroyed and convinced me that it was time not to leave things to luck, was BC (before covid), so was 4+ years ago and probably nearer 6 years ago.

That was seed from Silverhill.

The minimum cost of a phyto' to export from the UK is basically £150 - ROUGHLY £125 for the inspection (30 minutes maximum, extra time costs more), and £25 for the actual phyto' cert'.

Imports made in bulk (for distribution within the UK, so sharing of import costs), requires the importer to register and then issue plant passports, all of which is free.

[bainbridges]

Hello folks

Just to say that we have now had confirmation that seeds coming into the UK from the EU (inc Norway and Switzerland) will not need a Phytosanitary Certificate for this year at the very least.  So, European members, you can just send your seed into us in the usual way.  Full details will be posted on the website very soon.

Ian Bainbridge
SRGC Seed Reception. 

[Vinny 123]

Abandoned again?

The enforcement of the law was even announced on R4 earlier in the year.......................................

This is not reflected on the DEFRA website.