The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is today (Thursday 15 October) issuing a traders’ notice to all importers and exporters of secondhand/used machinery. New stringent requirements for the import and export of used machinery are set to come into play from 1 January 2021.

The change is driven by EU legislation where specific requirements for the trade of such used machinery between the EU and third countries (non-EU) must be implemented. From 1 January next, the UK will become a third country and these procedures will apply for the trade of used machinery between the EU and Britain.

DAFM indicates the requirements apply to all secondhand machinery which has been used for agricultural, forestry, horticultural or soil preparation/cultivation purposes. This includes tractors and all harvesting and threshing machinery.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that all importers and exporters of used machinery are now required to be registered with DAFM and with TRACES NT (European Import Notification System).

All used machinery destined for import/export is required to be clean and free of soil or plant debris. A phytosanitary certificate will be required and will be provided by the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) of the exporting country. When importing, all relevant documents will have to be submitted to DAFM at least 24 hours before arrival of the consignment. The used machines in question will be subject to physical checks upon arrival.

Application

When exporting, an application will have to be submitted to the DAFM’s Export Certification System (ECS) for the necessary certificates, at least 14 days prior to departure. The required certificates will have to be sent to the British (GB) customer prior to departure.

The GB customer will then be required to submit documents to GB authorities at least four hours prior to arrival if travelling by air and at least one working day if travelling by road/sea. Some other countries will also require phytosanitary certification.