Reminder of first consignee requirements for Certificates of Inspection into GB from third countries
The GB (retained) and EU organic regulation requires that the first consignee carries out some specific checks when they receive imported organic goods from outside of the EU, EEA, NI and CH.
Once those checks are successfully completed section 21 of the GB Certificate of Inspection (COI) ‘Declaration of First Consignee’ must be signed. The first consignee is the operator who first receives the imported goods for further preparation or marketing, this would include splitting of a consignment for delivery to different sites/businesses.
The first consignee is required to check the product and accompanying paperwork as detailed below and make a record of those checks:
a) product arrives in appropriate packaging or containers which prevent substitution, co-mingling, contamination or any threat to the organic integrity
b) identifies the exporter
c) are marked to identify the lot
d) that the COI covers the products in the consignment
Only once satisfactory checks have been completed can the COI section 21 Declaration of First Consignee be signed and returned to the importer.
Action to take
If you are the first consignee, please ensure:
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you have a procedure in place to cover these checks
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your staff are trained to carry out the checks
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your records include confirmation that the checks have been carried out.
For further information or any questions, please email businesssupport@soilassociation.org.