Steve Parker’s Column
As mad as a March Hare
BIFAlink is the official magazine of the British International Freight Association Redfern House, Browells Lane, Feltham TW13 7EP Tel: 020 8844 2266 (A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England: 00391973. VAT Registration: 216476363) Director General Steve Parker s.parker@bifa.org Member Policy & Compliance Director Robert Windsor r.windsor@bifa.org Member Support Director Spencer Stevenson s.stevenson@bifa.org Member Services Director Carl Hobbis c.hobbis@bifa.org Member Engagement Director Denise Hill d.hill@bifa.org International Relations Advisor Robert Keen r.keen@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Frontier Policy Manager Pawel Jarza p.jarza@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Customs Igor Popovics i.popovics@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Sustainable Logistics Mike Jones m.jones@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Sustainable Logistics Jamie McKean j.mckean@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Air David Stroud d.stroud@bifa.org Editorial Co-ordinator Sharon Hammond s.hammond@bifa.org Membership Supervisor Sarah Milton s.milton@bifa.org Published by Park Lane Publishing peter@parklanepublishingltd.com Contributors Steve Parker, Robert Windsor, David Stroud, Spencer Stevenson, Carl Hobbis, Web site: www.bifa.org E-mail: bifa@bifa.org Sharon Hammond, Igor Popovics, Robert Keen, Denise Hill, Mike Jones, Pawel Jarza, Natalie Pitts Note to media: If you wish to use items in this magazine that are older than one month, please contact the editorial co- ordinator 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.
I remember as a child, an uncle who to me, at my young age, always seemed to be extremely busy and always in a rush from one thing to the next. I recall my parents saying he was as mad as a March Hare. This old saying, which Lewis Carroll used to such good effect in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , does have a basis in truth. It refers to the extra energy hares display in spring, which according to my internet research includes jumping and running around, along with fighting other hares, which they do for territory and supremacy. It is a definite attempt to stamp their mark on the future. Well, looking at the activities at BIFA, March this year is very like that for us. We have a number of events where we want to ‘stamp' the
views of our industry on the future. I thought it would be a good idea to share some information about these, to provide some insight into what we do that perhaps does not always make the news or BIFAlink TV, but is important, nonetheless. We will be at: • The Houses of Parliament, as guests of the British Association of Removers whose members face all sorts of issues, not the least of which is moving goods over the border, and the proposed 90 in 180 day rules for UK drivers entering the EU (this topic has been covered in BIFAlink and BIFAlink TV); • The Finnish ambassador’s residence to discuss the movement of freight between Finland/ Estonia and the UK; • The Liverpool dinner, where our Members and stakeholders will meet to have a good time and raise funds for charity (this is a sold-out event with almost 300 people); • FIATA HQ meeting, where a small delegation from the UK will put forward our views to be heard on the global stage; • Northern Ireland – we have our regional meeting set for 25 March where HMRC will be in attendance to give an update on the Windsor Framework and its activities. Please note, you do not have to be a member in Northern Ireland to attend, anyone can. I say this as I know trade to and from Northern Ireland is important for a lot of our Members. We are also keeping our focus on the BIFA National Conference on 14-15 May at The Slate, Warwick University. If you have not already done so, I would urge you to secure a place. For just £595 you will have access to the two days of the conference, including an overnight stay and admission to the conference dinner on the Wednesday evening at which Kriss Akabusi is our keynote speaker. See pages 14-15 of this issue for more information on the conference agenda. As you can see March looks like an exciting month, providing BIFA with lots of opportunities to represent our Members and try to work for the best solutions for our industry. Rest assured, BIFA’s busy-ness will be not mad like the March Hare, but measured, efficient and effective.
Director General
March 2025 | 3
www.bifa.org
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