The International Trade Single Window (ITSW) Project continues to make progress with the development of the Automatic Licence Verification System (ALV) for the imports of plants, flowers, fruit and vegetables into England & Wales. When it is live, ALV will link the "PEACH" system at Defra/RPA directly to HMRC's "CHIEF" system enabling Plant Health & Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) & Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (HMI) consignment release decisions to be passed electronically into CHIEF. This will remove the need for importers or agents to fax release certificates to the National Clearance Hub at Salford and hasten the clearance of consignments.
Defra's ITSW Project Manager, Mike Peters, said, "ALV testing is complex. We're linking several back office systems from two separate government departments, but we are making good progress." He told SITPRO that many tests, including how the system operates under heavy volumes or if connected systems were to become unavailable, had already taken place. Following a final set of tests in February Defra hopes to announce plans to launch an ALV pilot.
Mike advised that when ALV is live, the key to its success will be ensuring that importers and agents submit accurate data to both PHSI/HMI and to HMRC with particular emphasis on the same DUCR (Declaration Unique Consignment Reference Number) being used. He explained, "If the same DUCR is not used, then consignments will not be released. Ensuring that other data entered onto PEACH, such as commodity, weight etc..., also exactly match what is entered onto CHIEF will ensure that the release process is not unduly delayed."
Return to SITPRO News: Issue 67, Winter 2008/2009
