PREPARING FOR BREXIT

A joint letter from Lesley Griffiths, Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, and Andy Richardson, Chair of the Food and Drink Industry Board for Wales, urges all Welsh food and drink businesses to keep preparing for Brexit.

To do so, they highlight the following channels, which can offer businesses support:

• The Business Wales website https://businesswales.gov.wales/brexit/ provides legal advice from the UK Government on how businesses can best prepare for Brexit, as well as a self-assessment tool to gauge your business readiness and to offer you further support and guidance. You can also get advice from the Business Wales Helpline by phoning 03000 6 03000, or keep up-to-date with developments on twitter https://twitter.com/_businesswales or by signing up to the Food & Drink Wales digital newsletter https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWALES/subscriber/new

• The Cywain Project offers food and drink businesses a bespoke self-assessment diagnostic, along with personalised advice. To access this service, email cywain@menterabusnes.co.uk.

• The Preparing Wales website https://gov.wales/preparing-wales gives the most up-to-date guidance on process changes for business across a wide range of industries, including in farming, fishing, and in food production and exports.

• The UK Government website links to additional information from DEFRA https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-food-and-drink-sector-and-preparing-for-eu-exit and HMRC https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partnership-pack-preparing-for-a-no-deal-eu-exit (e.g. EORI Number, Export Health Certificates).

The letter also signposts to support on the Preparing Wales website https://gov.wales/preparing-wales-brexit/people-wales#eu-citizens for those who will need to apply for settled status after Brexit.

You can read the full contents of the letter here: https://gov.wales/food-and-drink-businesses-wales-urged-prepare-brexit