How to register and update your personal, business and land details on the Rural Payments service (including RLE1 guidance).

Importers and exporters of animals and animal products are being urged to prepare for Brexit on 31 October, as these will be subject to new requirements if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. This would include foodstuffs ranging from cuts of meat to cheese, as well as fish and fishery products.

The rules would also apply to the import and export of live animals and other consignments such as germplasm and animal by-products.

Guidance, published on GOV.UK, sets out the steps businesses will need to take to import or export these goods, and the government is communicating directly with these businesses and individuals to help make sure they are Brexit ready.

Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, George Eustice, said:

While the Government is seeking a deal with energy and determination, we have stepped up our preparations and we will be fully ready to leave the EU on 31 October, whatever the circumstances.

If you or your business import or export animals or animal products such as meat eggs or dairy, we want to help make sure you are ready for Brexit. Our guidance is designed to clearly set out the steps you need to take to ensure you are ready to trade after we leave the EU.

For exports

Guidance for exporters can be found at www.gov.uk/brexit.

• If the UK is granted listed status for third country exports of animals and animal products, food exporters, in addition to meeting customs requirements, will need to ensure:
• All consignments are accompanied by Export Health Certificate (EHC) signed by a certifier such as an Official Veterinarian or a Local Authority Environmental Health Officer. EHCs can be downloaded at https://www.gov.uk/get-ehc
• All consignments travel via a Border Inspection Post (BIP). A list of current BIPs is found here
• All consignments comply with food labelling requirements which are detailed at https://www.gov.uk/brexit-food-labelling
• Additional paperwork is required for exporters of fishery products to ensure fish has been caught legally. Further guidance for fish exporters can be found at https://www.gov.uk/brexit-export-fish

End to end journey maps, available to read here, clearly set out the all the steps exporters will need to take.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has, today, also issued technical guidance to local government Certifying Officers for a new risk based approach for EHC inspections for fish. This will help reduce the amount of time involved per EHC application for fish exports.

For imports

While imports of animals and animal products can continue after Brexit, the way that notifications are raised is also changing. Businesses importing certain goods from outside the EU will need to use a new system called IPAFFS to notify authorities of their imports.

This will be instead of the EU’s TRACES system currently used by businesses. 977 registered users have already signed up for IPAFFS which have undergone a series of improvements during 2019. Users are encouraged to register for IPAFFS from the 30th September, when guidance and user support will be available.

The UK has asked the EU for continued access to TRACES for imports from the EU for a limited time, but importers would still need to notify APHA. However, should that not be granted, businesses importing these consignments from the EU will need to notify authorities using a different process. Details on the import process are available here on GOV.UK.

Importers and exporters of animals and animal products are being urged to prepare for Brexit

Fadimatou Noutchemo Simo, is the founder of the Young African Aviation Professional Organisation(YAAPA) which supports girls and underprivileged children in rural areas forge careers in aviation. Founded in 2014, YAAPA has helped over ten thousand young people, hosting career events, visits and mentorship programmes where young people can meet professionals in the industry. YAAPA’s Heleta Aviation Scholarship Programme has supported more than 500 children to continue their education and they are also planning a programme to build community centres in rural locations to provide access to libraries and computers.

As part of the legacy of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London 2018, Her Majesty The Queen – as Head of the Commonwealth – is thanking inspirational volunteers across the 53 Commonwealth nations for the difference they are making in their communities and beyond, by recognising one volunteer from each Commonwealth country each week in the two years following the summit.

By sharing these stories of service, the Commonwealth Points of Light awardscelebrate inspirational acts of volunteering across the Commonwealth and help inspire others to make their own contribution to tackling some of the greatest social challenges of our time.

Fadimatou Noutchemo Simo said:

I am so happy to have won this award as it comes as a great and pleasant surprise for me. The work I have been doing in promoting aviation, travel and tourism has become my passion as inspiring the next generations and mostly giving to the underprivileged youths the opportunity to see what the world offers is my determination. Some years ago,I was moved with discovering the important role aviation has in developing all economies and realised how many especially in the rural areas could not think about a career in aviation. I started with a team of volunteers to raise awareness throught youth events and building brideges with other African countries to share best practices and partner to promote both our countries and hare our experiences.

We launched the Youth Aviation Forum for Africa in 2016, and as we found out the needs in schools in these rural areas and the underprivileged, we initiated programs to support them; the Heleta Avioation scholarship that provides school bags to kids with a good average, The YAAPA Act for Change that supports the construction and furnishing of classrooms from local materials in the villages, the YAAPA 54 Exchange program to encourage professional vacations within Africa for on the job experience.

With the growing number of youths interested with no facilities we are working on launching community centers with the launch of the Youth Aviation Tech Africa program. We want these youths to learn about aviation and ICT for them to use their creativity on impacting the change we would like to see.

Receiving this award makes my team of volunteers and myself proud and determined to do more outreach and raise more awareness to youths for no one to be left behind. A great thank to her Majesty the Queen of England for this great initiative.

Rowan Laxton, UK High Commissioner to Cameroon said:

Fadimatou’s ceaseless efforts to support young women and underprivileged children have helped hundreds of individuals, drawn fresh talent into the aviation industry and served as an inspiration to thousands of others. Her work is a shining example of the impact that dedicated and skilled volunteers can make to brighten people’s lives

The Commonwealth is a diverse community of 53 nations that work together to promote prosperity, democracy and peace. The Heads of Government meeting brought together leaders from all the 53 Member countries to reaffirm common values, address shared global challenges and agree how to work to create a better future for all citizens, especially young people. Voluntary service is a vital part of this agenda, which is why Her Majesty The Queen has chosen to recognise outstanding volunteers across the Commonwealth in this special way.