Regulations on the import of forestry machinery
From 1 September 2019, machinery or vehicles that have been used for agricultural or forestry purposes will be subject to plant health regulations when imported from any third country.
Importers must ensure that machinery or vehicles of this kind are accompanied by an official statement such as a phytosanitary certificate, detailing that they have been cleaned and are free from soil and plant debris. The requirements do not apply to new machinery and vehicles.
All plant health import inspections of controlled agriculture and forestry machinery and vehicles landing in England and Wales will be performed by Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Inspectors, and recorded on the Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates system (PEACH). Importers of regulated machinery should notify the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) and register on the PEACH system. Guidance on notifying the PHSI and using the PEACH system.
Machinery and vehicles landing in Scotland should be manually notified to the Forestry Commission’s Plant Health Service. The Forestry Commission will arrange an import inspection.
The Combined Nomenclature (CN) codes covered by the new legislation are:
- ex 8432 (Agricultural, horticultural or forestry machinery for soil preparation or cultivation; lawn or sports-ground rollers)
- ex 8433 53 (Root or tuber harvesting machines)
- ex 8436 80 10 (Forestry machinery excludes chainsaws 8467 81 00 00)
- ex 8701 20 90 (Used Tractors for semi-trailers (other than tractors of heading 8709):
- ex 8701 91 10 (Agricultural tractors and forestry tractors, wheeled, of an engine power not exceeding 18 kW)
The requirements for machinery and vehicles can be found at the new point 7a of Schedule 4B in the legislation for forestry
Importers of forest and farming machinery who need any further information or guidance can contact the APHA Plant Health Helpline.