Information Bulletin:
Faster customs clearance for fresh produce & plant imports
thanks to new automatic system
293/09 The new
Automatic Licence Verification System (ALVS) which will reduce
customs clearance times and paperwork for all companies who import
flowers, plants, fruit and vegetables into England and Wales from
outside the EU, will be launched on Tuesday 16 February 2010,
Defra & HMRC announced today.
Customs clearance times will now be reduced from 2 hours down to
approximately 10 minutes as ALVS will electronically link HMRC’s
‘CHIEF’ and RPA & FERA’s ‘PEACH’ systems. The introduction
of ALVS also means that companies will no longer need to fax
Conformity and Quarantine Release Certificates to HMRC’s National
Clearance Hub for physical checks.
Quick ALVS customs clearance will occur when Document Unique
Consignment Reference, weight and commodity codes entered on the
customs declaration exactly match the details entered onto the
associated PEACH application.
Defra & HMRC have been running a live pilot of ALVS since
March 2009 with the number of importers and agents using the
system increasing each month and now totalling 90. A number of
briefing sessions for trade have been run in Manchester,
Peterborough, Felixstowe and Heathrow. Final briefing sessions
will take place at the Premier Inn Heathrow, Hounslow, Middlesex
on Wednesday 6 January 2010 and Wednesday 10 February 2010.
It was decided to run an extended pilot to ensure that any
potential issues with the new system, supporting systems and
HMRC/Defra infrastructure had been resolved before the full launch
of ALVS. Many traders having volunteered to pilot the system have
provided very positive feedback.
More information on ALVS can be found on the FERA website: http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/plantHealth/imports/alvs.cfm.
Notes for editors
ALVS has been funded by the International Trade Single Window
(ITSW) a cross-government project whose partners include HMRC,
Defra, BIS, SITPRO, FSA, and UKTI. The assistance of all companies
who took part in the pilot, and Trade Associations such as FPC,
BIFA & SITPRO, has been an important part of developing
the new system.
Contacts:
Defra Press Office
Phone: 020 7238 5608
NDS.DEFRA@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Tim Dunford
Phone: 020 7238 6001
tim.dunford@defra.gsi.gov.uk