If you’re not already making preparations for the various changes- some possible, some definite- that will affect plant health and plant movements in the next year or so, please keep close to developments and start planning (you can keep your fingers crossed too!) These include:

-the replacement of plant passports with phytosanitary certificates for movements between the UK and EU countries, possibly from 29 March next year, if there’s no Brexit deal (and if they’re moving other than by air, you’ll need to give 3 days’ notice of shipments under current rules)

-possible delays at ports or awaiting inspection of consignments (APHA seem keen to minimise this but circumstances might be outside their control)

-the introduction of a new UK plant passport scheme for movements of plants currently requiring passports within the UK, if there’s no Brexit deal

-the likelihood of tariffs on plant movements (5-8%?) and changes on cross-border VAT rules, if there’s no Brexit deal

-the extension of the plant passporting scheme to cover ‘all plants for planting’ from December 2019 (definitely happening- and a big workload)

-other possible impacts such as changes affecting travel / driving in the EU, regulation of plant protection products, and plant variety rights (I’m deliberately keeping out of issues such as labour availability, exchange rate movements, etc)

-the hopeful introduction of the new Plant Health Assurance Scheme to help protect the trade from the ever-increasing number of plant health risks (fact- and nothing to do with Brexit!)