Member Engagement
BIFA regional member meetings
Northern Ireland Regional representative Shauneen McConville was joined by 30+ Members at a lively meeting in Belfast during October where representatives from HMRC presented the latest updates on the Windsor framework. The duty reclaim service was explained and Members were advised that claims could be made for shipments dating back to 2021 with the necessary evidence. The Internal Market Movement Information (IMMI) service was discussed as well as the reduced dataset that will be required, details of which will be made available soon. For the Trader Goods Profile service, it was confirmed that the agent would need to be given access by the trader. HMRC is also working to use previous declaration data to pre-populate the database to help traders. There are two dedicated email addresses for NI related communication: • enquirieswindsorframework@ hmrc.gov.uk • nistakeholderengagementteam @hmrc.gov.uk Border Force representatives explained how the various governmental departments overlap and their specific areas of responsibility. The huge changes and additional tasks post-Brexit, including issues around CITES, transit and carnets, were discussed with Members welcoming the clarification. Steve Parker, BIFA director general, brought all up to speed with current BIFA activities and Igor Popovics, BIFA policy advisor Customs, updated Members on other Customs-related issues. BIFA personnel were out connecting with Members in Northern Ireland and the Midlands during October
Midlands October saw the last two Member meetings in the Midlands region for 2024, which took place in East Midlands and Coventry. Both meetings welcomed Lindsey Shantall of RailX as guest speaker promoting the use of rail as a viable and environmentally friendly way to move shipping containers into and out of the region. Members received the latest policy group updates from Regional Representative Andrew Melton, along with information of forthcoming BIFA events.
Top: The BIFA Regional meeting in Northern Ireland Above: BIFA Members attend the Midlands (South) meeting in Coventry
Staying in touch with freight issues BIFA regional member meetings are a great way to stay up to date with both regional and national issues. They provide the opportunity for discussion with subject-matter experts and for networking with industry peers. All BIFA Members are welcome at meetings – see www.bifa.org/events for full details of events near you.
20 | December 2024
www.bifa.org
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