Member Engagement
legislation, Carbon and Carbon Dioxide emissions, along with information about the Carbon Calculator available through the BIFA website supported by Pledge. Carl Hobbis, BIFA’s Member Services Director, spoke about the training offered by BIFA and the Young Forwarder Network (YFN). Midlands South regional meeting – 1 February This meeting was held at the Holiday Inn adjacent to Junction 2 of the M6; 18 people attended from member companies. As with the Midlands North, Members’ CDS issues were a concern as well as the migration of exports onto the CDS platform. The updated BIFA website was demonstrated, and Andrew encouraged Members to make more use of the information now available through this platform. Liz Sumner provided information on BIFA training opportunities and the Young Forwarder Network. South & South-West region Avonmouth regional meeting – 23 January The Avonmouth regional meeting, led by Paul Cunningham, is now firmly re-established with attendance numbers building and generating lively input from Members. Members fully supported the set- up of the Young Forwarder Network in Avonmouth. Clara Thomas from Quality Freight was appointed as chairperson and ideas for the first meeting and site tour were discussed. Details will be confirmed soon. There was a constructive discussion on Customs topics including steel quotas, GB and Northern Ireland EORI numbers, CDS Exports and BTOM. Advice was also given regarding the implications on Member liability arising from the Red Sea operational issues. Members were updated on impending EU and UK legislation for the reporting of carbon emissions and advised to prepare in advance so that data can be provided to customers who will need to comply with the requirements. Our thanks to Davies Turner for hosting the event.
Liverpool law firm Hill Dickinson presented to BIFA Members at the Liverpool regional meeting
Regional meetings round-up
Midlands & North region Andrew Melton, BIFA regional representative, provided a round- up to each meeting in the Midlands and the North of developments discussed at each of the five policy groups. As you would expect, Customs issues were widely debated along with the changing demands for sustainability and reporting. Liverpool regional meeting – 16 January This Member event was unfortunately impacted by the weather as snow caused traffic chaos, resulting in some Members being unable to attend, but 20+ were able to meet. The guest speakers from Hill Dickinson Solicitors LLP, Colin Lavell and Tom Turner, gave a presentation covering the most recent trends of HMRC followed by an explanation of Agency General principles, including the key liability provisions of the BIFA Standard Trading Conditions. This was followed by a presentation from the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce represented by Elena Enciso who informed Members about the services the Chamber has
available to support the activities of the freight community. The next Liverpool Members meeting will be Tuesday 19 March hosted by Peel Ports and will include an optional port tour. Midlands North regional meeting – 31 January This was the first meeting since splitting the Midlands area into North and South, and was held at the Leonardo Hotel, East Midlands Airport. A total of 17 Members attended and Andrew brought them up to date with the latest news, including information on the redevelopment of the cargo facilities at Heathrow Airport and issues with ocean freight services. Based just outside the airport, the attending Members were predominantly involved with airfreight, but Customs issues raised the most interaction, with discussions around CDS Exports, the withdrawal of waiver code 999L and NCTS5. Members also discussed Direct and Indirect representation and HMRC’s change to Duty Deferment accounts for companies with GB and XI EORIs. Feedback from the first meeting of the Sustainable Logistics Policy Group was provided, including an overview of the EU CBAM
“ The Avonmouth regional meeting, led by Paul Cunningham, is now firmly re- established with attendance numbers building and generating lively input from Members
March 2024 | 21
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