TSS Bulletin, 196th Edition

Published: 19 June 2025 |

Contents

Phase 3 labelling requirements under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS) effective 1 July 2025

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has confirmed that the third phase of labelling requirements under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS) will come into effect from 1 July 2025.

From this date, individual ‘Not for EU’ product-level labelling will be required for a broader range of food products moved under NIRMS from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI) retail premises.

Individual product labelling will be mandatory for all products that fall within scope of Phase 3 labelling. The label must be clearly visible on the individual product packaging to indicate that the goods are not intended for sale or onward movement into the European Union (EU). This requirement applies regardless of the product’s origin.

Products requiring individual labelling in Phase 3

In addition to the meat and dairy products already in scope from Phases 1 and 2, from 1 July 2025 products in the following categories will also need to have a ‘Not for EU’ label on each individual item:

  • All pre-packed and sealed fruit and vegetables
  • All fresh, frozen and processed fish
  • Eggs
  • Honey
  • Food supplements produced from animal products, with no added plant products
  • All chilled or frozen composite products and some chilled plant products that require certification or controls at a border control post (BCP)
  • All shelf-stable composite products, unless they are listed in the ‘exemptions’ section of the GOV.UK guidance
  • High-risk food of non-animal origin (HRFNAO), where it is controlled under Regulation 2019/1793
  • Cut flowers where they are listed in Part A of Annex XI and Annex XII to the Phytosanitary Conditions Regulation (EU) 2019/2072

A 30-day transition period will be in place, meaning that Phase 3 products moved to NI before 1 July 2025 will not need individual product labels until 31 July 2025.

In addition, NI retailers must display appropriate signage in-store, indicating that goods moved under NIRMS are intended only for consumption in the UK and must not be sold in the EU.

New Certificates Exchange System (CERTEX) for Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls goes live on 28 June 2025

From 28 June 2025, licence data on Northern Ireland declarations will be verified by a new Certificates Exchange System (CERTEX), which is replacing the previous Automatic Licence Verification System (ALVS). With the introduction of CERTEX, electronic documents raised on TRACES NT will be verified by CERTEX.

The following is a list of certificates to which the CERTEX verifications apply:

Certificate type Certificate type detail
COI Certificates of Organic Conformity
CHED.PP Plants and plant products
CHED.D Food and feed of non-animal origin
CHED.P Food and products of animal origin
CHED.A Live animals
ODS Ozone depleting substances
FGAS Fluorinated gases

 

Common Health Entry Document (CHED) reference format

The format of the CHED reference number on Northern Ireland declarations will be changing in line with CERTEX requirements. This must be provided in the format letters followed by numbers, including the full stops:

CHEDA.XX.20YY.nnnnnnn, where XX is the country of issuance, YY is the year, and nnnnnnn is the number (7 digits), (Optional suffix ‘V’). For example, ‘CHEDA.XI.2024.1234567’ or ‘CHEDA.XI.2024.1234567V’.

Appendix 5A on GOV.UK will be updated to reflect changes of the CHED format as well as declaration completion instructions for Northern Ireland declarations.

What does this mean for TSS users?

Traders moving goods to NI must make sure the information provided on a declaration matches the information on the relevant licence or certification raised in TRACES NT.

Any queries raised by CERTEX will be received in TSS as a Customs Declaration Service (CDS) declaration response and will be prefixed ‘CERTEX’ followed by query explanatory text.

The status of the declaration in TSS, which is subject to a CERTEX query, will change to ‘Amendment Required’ at consignment level and ‘Trader Input Required’ at header level.

TSS will inform you via email that an amendment is required due to a CERTEX query. You will then need to make the necessary amendments in response to the CERTEX query and resubmit your declaration.

If the information on your declaration does not match the CHED, then your goods may be subject to a hold or may need to be reported for inspection upon arrival in Northern Ireland.

The Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) messaging service will notify the haulier of which Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) or Border Force facility to report to when required.

If you need help with the declaration amendments related to a CERTEX query, please contact the Trader Support Service.

For more guidance on CERTEX, including how to complete certain information on your declarations, go to Moving licensed goods into or out of Northern Ireland on GOV.UK

When does the Supplementary Declaration need to be completed?

Submission of the Supplementary Declaration is required by the tenth calendar day of the month following the goods movement.

Why does it have to be by the tenth calendar day?

Simplified Declaration Procedures allow businesses to release goods to a customs procedure using a simplified data set submitted at the point of release on an electronic customs declaration. Where you engage TSS to assist with a Simplified Declaration Procedure, you, the TSS user, agrees to:

  • Provide us with all Supplementary Declaration information, or (where eligible) Internal Market Movement Information (IMMI), reasonably required by us and as notified to you using your account contact details; and
  • Make payment in advance for any duty that may become payable because of the provision of these services and in any event by the tenth calendar day of the month, following the month in which the goods subject to movement are transferred.

Additional Trader Support Service terms and conditions can be found on the TSS Portal website.

Podcast and webinar update

The Trader Support Service (TSS) has two new resources to help you navigate the latest customs changes.

Latest ICS2 webinar

A recording of our latest webinar, held on 3 June, is now available: Introducing Changes to the Entry Summary Declaration due to ICS2. This session covers upcoming changes to the Entry Summary Declaration in the TSS Portal due to ICS2.

New ‘Windsor Framework unpacked’ podcast episode

Due to a positive response following the launch of the podcast, a second episode is now available: Windsor Framework unpacked: Go live queries, hints and tips.

During this discussion, TSS & HMRC specialists:

  • Reflect on the launch of the new arrangements for goods moving from GB to NI via parcels and freight that took effect on 1 May
  • Address common questions regarding parcel movements
  • Explore the use of simplified processes, such as Internal Market Movement Information (IMMI) and the Trader Goods Profile (TGP)
  • Share tips to help you prepare for the implementation of the Import Control System 2 (ICS2) for RoRo movements by 1 September 2025

The next webinar in the ICS2 series is planned for 8 July: ‘Preparing users to submit an ENS in the TSS Portal following changes due to ICS2’. This webinar aims to cover:

  • A recap on Safety and Security Declarations from HMRC
  • An overview of Haulier and Trader roles
  • How to create an ENS for RoRo in the TSS portal
  • An overview of changes for API users
  • Next steps
  • Q&A

There are limited spaces available, so please make sure you register for the webinar. Questions can be submitted in advance as part of registration and are invaluable in shaping our future engagements. Once registered, we will issue instructions on how to join the webinar closer to the time of the event.

Please be aware that this session will be recorded and uploaded to the Northern Ireland Customs & Trade Academy (NICTA), where you can find the recordings of previous TSS webinars along with further learning resources.

Windsor Framework guidance available on NICTA

On NICTA there are guides to help you with the Windsor Framework simplified processes. Clicking on the Moving Goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland option on the menu bar at the top of any page will direct you to further information concerning Internal Market Movements.

Here are some useful links:

TSS Contact Centre hours of operation:

07:30 – 22:30, 7 days a week
Contact options
Tel:0800 060 8888
Welsh speakers Tel: 0800 060 8988

Northern Ireland Customs & Trade Academy (NICTA)

Find guides, webinars, and training on the NICTA website to assist with your customs movements and using TSS.

 

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