In 2019, ongoing uncertainties surrounding Brexit, the economic outlook and the political situation continued to impact on the UK’s freight transport and logistics sector, says the British International Freight Association (BIFA).

Robert Keen
Director General at BIFA

The downturn in the manufacturing sector, which is a very important source of business for members of the trade association for UK freight forwarders and logistics companies shows no signs of any change going into 2020.

For Director General, Robert Keen, one of BIFA’s best achievements of 2019 was the establishment of its Young Forwarder Network (YFN) in many parts of the UK.

With the YFN, BIFA hopes to develop an affinity for the Association from the grass roots and have the groups within the YFN driving a personal development agenda themselves rather than the old ‘top down’ approach.

Skills development is another topic where BIFA is pleased with the outcome of its work in 2019. In a relatively short period of time BIFA has changed out of all recognition from a broker arranging training courses provided by third parties to a modern training centre with its own qualified staff delivering a huge increase in courses around the UK.

In partnership with a group of BIFA members, the trade association helped develop a specific industry-related apprenticeship and government turned to BIFA to assist in developing the online Customs entry course on which many freight forwarding companies have enrolled staff using government grants.

The scope of training products that BIFA provides has broadened and it is well positioned to increase its offerings as legislation changes post-Brexit and when the replacement for CHIEF (CDS – Customs Declaration Service) comes online.

Turning to the roller-coaster ride of uncertainty that has been and still is, Brexit, the team in BIFA’s Policy and Compliance department have been hugely busy fielding enquiries on all manner of diverse technical enquiries regarding Customs and other procedures.

For 2020, one thing that is certain. HMRC is planning to complete delivery of the new Customs Declaration System (CDS) and migrating traders to the new platform from the current Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system to CDS by September 2020 in order for HMRC to meet its requirement to turn off CHIEF in March 2021.

BIFA is working closely with HMRC to ensure that the developers understand the needs of the end-user, who will ultimately determine what will actually work in practice, as well as establishing greater clarity regarding some of the data elements.

Whilst CDS is a reality, the spectre of uncertainty will cast its shadow over the sector in 2020.

Against this backdrop of uncertainty, BIFA and its members will be doing their best next year to provide advice on how companies that trade internationally can navigate the murky waters of post-Brexit trade, assuming that Brexit, deal or no deal, ever happens.

BIFA represents around 1,500 UK companies in the logistics and supply chain management sector.

A non-for-profit organisation, BIFA is funded by subscriptions and run by its members for its members. It operates with a full-time Secretariat which administers and manages the Association’s affairs. BIFA members adopt a code of conduct, and trade under a nationally accepted set of Standard Trading Conditions that are backed in the insurance sector.

BIFA

020 8844 3634

s.stevenson@bifa.org

www.bifa.org

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