ASM boss warns of looming British customs disaster

ASM boss warns of looming British customs disaster The head of Agency Sector Management (UK) Ltd., a not-for-profit freight industry representative body and software organization, has warned British shippers of major disruptions coming in the summer when U.K. customs switches to a new processing system.
   The European Union's harmonized Single Administrative Document (SADH) is due to come online July 1 as a precursor to allowing declaration data to be passed between member states' computer systems.
   Peter MacSwiney, chairman of ASM, warned that an en masse switch of the system could lead to a 'complete collapse' of freight movements into and out of the United Kingdom as freight forwarders grapple with unfamiliar customs declarations and new software. As a result, transport operators across all modes would most likely refuse to carry shipments where information was incomplete for fear of incurring heavy fines, he said.
   MacSwiney added that the task of integrating the new requirements will be more complex in Britain, which has the most sophisticated customs information technology systems, than it will be in other countries with rudimentary or non-existent systems.
   'The problem is that, under the new system, the current customs declarations won’t be accepted any more,' MacSwiney said.
   'HMRC's (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs') original plan was to run the old and new systems together between March and July, giving forwarders the ability to adapt to the new procedures and uncover any defects of the new system along the way. Having both systems available was a far more pragmatic approach compared to the prospect of a cutover to a new system overnight.'
   MacSwiney urged British authorities to revert to the original phased approach. 'A two or three-month transition period, although still difficult, would be achievable,' he said.