One of the proposals within the 2023 Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) was to explore the introduction of a delegated authority model for the checks of plants and plant products, which would allow eligible traders to manage their own SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) risks.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) explains that this would involve the granting of Authorised Operator Status (AOS) to Authorised Operators (AOs), enabling them to carry out their own physical and identity checks, provided they met certain eligibility criteria such as suitable infrastructure and completion of prescribed training.
A pilot to test the feasibility of AOS in terms of biosecurity and operator competency ran from June to December 2024 with eight businesses taking part and with Defra carrying out an evaluation at the end of the trial with regard to the feasibility and scaling of the programme.
Defra has concluded that, whilst the pilot showed an increase in knowledge and capability around biosecurity for the participating businesses, it also showed that there would be significant challenges in scaling-up AOS. These would include the significant investment needed in IT systems required and the feasibility of bringing AOS processes to the level needed to assure biosecurity at a national scale while still providing value for money.
Given the recent common understanding reached by the UK and EU to proceed with an SPS Agreement, and the recent Government decision not to introduce checks on fruit and vegetables entering Great Britain from the EU (see Fruit and veg import checks scrapped ahead of UK-EU deal), Defra has decided not to progress AOS at this time.
