Robert Keen’s Column
BIFAlink
www.bifa.org
Much to be done over border costs
BIFAlink is the official magazine of the British International Freight Association Redfern House, Browells Lane, Feltham TW13 7EP Tel: 020 8844 2266
Writing this issue’s comment coincided with a report by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee concluding that Britain’s exit from the European Union has so far made trade more expensive because of delays and red tape, and that new border arrangements have added costs to business. Whatever your opinion about the rights and wrongs of Brexit, BIFA Members that work at the sharp end of cross-border trade will not disagree with that sentiment, having witnessed increased costs, paperwork and border delays. The Public Accounts Committee cautioned that the government had considerable work to do to make cross-border trade easier for businesses and that there were concerns about computer systems being developed by Customs. Few BIFA Members
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(A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England: 391973. VAT Registration: 216476363) Director General Robert Keen r.keen@bifa.org Executive Director Robert Windsor, Policy & Compliance – Surface & Legal
will disagree with those sentiments either. In the same week, the government announced a 12-week consultation on the Single Trade Window inviting responses on a number of aspects of how the frontier works. Whilst BIFA, via its policy and regional structure, is consulting with Members to ascertain their views which can then be fed back to government, we are also encouraging all Members to consider replying directly on this subject. In this edition, we begin a repeat of a series of articles that we did some years ago, updated for 2022, concerning use of the BIFA Standard Trading Conditions (STC). On our website there is a downloadable publication called ‘Know your 2021 Standard Trading Conditions’, where each clause of the STC is explained in detail. The book was originally written for an earlier edition of the STC by retired forwarder Derek O’Brien and we are grateful to our solicitor, Kay Pysden, for editing the latest version. Part 1 of Know Your BIFA STC is on page 21 of this edition of BIFAlink , and I would like to ask you to encourage your staff to read it. The more of them that understand the BIFA STC, the better placed they are to deal with the occasional dispute. I will conclude this column with some thoughts on the BIFA Awards. They may have taken place six weeks ago, but I am still enthused by the event that the team managed to put on. We did not quite top the 500 attendee mark, but the feedback has been terrific. I would like to say a special thanks to the sponsors who give up their time to meet and select the category winners. Whilst I and the BIFA team see all entries, we are completely separated from the judging process, which is entirely neutral, and for that reason the BIFA Awards are probably the most well-respected awards in the sector. I would also like to thank all who supported our chosen charity, Transaid, at the event. Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport in rural Africa. It has been a tough time for all fundraisers during the pandemic, so the total raised of £3,600 was gratefully received. For another opportunity to help Transaid, cyclists should turn to page 17. There was a first this year as we asked our AV contractors to record the event; the video is available on the Awards section of bifa.org. It is easy to skip parts if you just want to see your company in the spotlight. Although not a first, a highlight of the Awards luncheon for me was presenting Gordon Day with a special recognition award. For those who do not know Gordon, he is the Honorary Secretary of the London Freight Club; if you look on page 6, you will see more about the club as well as the Glasgow Freight Club, which BIFA also supports. In light of the earlier mentioned ongoing consultation that the government is engaged upon, I will end this column by repeating what I have said several times over the past few years: Hopefully the government is listening.
r.windsor@bifa.org Executive Director Spencer Stevenson s.stevenson@bifa.org Executive Director Carl Hobbis c.hobbis@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Customs Igor Popovics i.popovics@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Air David Stroud d.stroud@bifa.org Editorial Co-ordinator Sharon Hammond s.hammond@bifa.org Communications Manager Natalie Pitts n.pitts@bifa.org Membership Supervisor Sarah Milton s.milton@bifa.org
Published by Park Lane Publishing peter@parklanepublishingltd.com Contributors
Robert Keen, Robert Windsor, David Stroud, Spencer Stevenson, Carl Hobbis, Sharon Hammond, Natalie Pitts, Nezda Leigh Note to media: If you wish to use items in this magazine that are older than one month, please contact the editor to ensure that the item in question still reflects the current circumstances. Please be advised that BIFA DOES NOT OFFER LEGAL ADVICE. BIFA is not a law firm and the authors of this publication are not legally qualified and do not have any legal training. The guidance and assistance set out herein are based on BIFA’s own experience with the issues concerned and should not be in any circumstances regarded or relied upon as legal advice. It is strongly recommended that anyone considering further action based on the information contained in this publication should seek the advice of a qualified professional.
Robert Keen Director General
March 2022
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