Transland Group, a member of Palletways, has been awarded a licence to ship ‘special products’ from the UK to Europe.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, part of the Government of Ireland, awarded Transland with this licence, which will allow for the Customs Clearance of ‘special products’ or Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) products such as food (including pet food), soft drinks and agricultural products.

Prior to Brexit, such products accounted for 30-40% of the volume shipped from the UK to Ireland. Following Brexit, additional checks and regulations in Ireland were introduced by The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Department which made the shipping of such commodities between the UK and Europe more complex.

Transland and Palletways can now Customs Clear the following products:

•    Confectionery – chocolates, sweets, cakes, biscuits
•    Dried pasta, rice, noodles, couscous, flour and wheat
•    Canned food – beans, soup, tuna
•    Canned and jarred vegetables, olives, pickles and chutneys
•    Herbs and spices, condiments and sauces
•    Non-alcoholic drinks such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice and carbonated drinks
•    Pet food and animal feed
•    Fertiliser, tree bark, peat moss, soil, mulch and wood (must be ISPM heat-treated)

Kieran Conlon, Managing Director of Transland Group, said: “We are pleased to be able to offer Palletways’ UK membership access to this service option for shipments to Europe. We have worked hard over the last few years to put a robust Customs Clearance process in place and this SPS certification allows us to make full use of our expertise and infrastructure to provide a much-needed solution for SPS products.”

Rob Gittins, Managing Director for Palletways UK, added: “Palletways UK now has the authorisation, expertise and infrastructure via Transland to successfully manage exports from the UK to Ireland, mainland Europe and the Baltic countries – one of the few UK networks that can provide a full clearance and distribution service for ‘special products’.  This represents a massive win for the Palletways UK membership, that can now confidently offer this service to UK customers shipping food, drink or agricultural products to Europe.”

Any UK company that exports product under licence to Europe will need to register independently with HMRC in order to secure a licence and ensure they have all the relevant documentation in place. Transland will require a copy of the licence when exporting the goods to process the clearance.