THE British International Freight Association (BIFA) has urged members to take part in a government consultation on whether a voluntary standard should be introduced for customs intermediaries, reports London's Air Cargo News.

BIFA said that a previous government review had found that traders found it difficult to identify good quality intermediaries and is therefore conducting a new survey to seek views on the possible introduction of a standard.

The consultation is also all part of the UK government's previously stated ambition to create the most effective border in the world by 2025.

BIFA pointed out that UK customs statistics show that 78 per cent of all customs declarations for international trade in 2022 were intermediated by a third party, and 99 per cent of traders relied solely on the use of an intermediary to declare all of their trade.

Said BIFA director general Steve Parker: "The government's announcement acknowledges that its previous review found that customs intermediaries provide a high-quality and invaluable service to traders, but also suggested that it can be difficult for traders, who may be new to customs processes, to identify a good quality intermediary to support them with trade.

"It adds that government wants to ensure that UK traders are able to easily identify and access a high-quality customs intermediary, and says that the latest consultation seeks views on introducing a voluntary standard for customs intermediaries, with the overall aim of improving standards across the sector," he said.

The consultation will run until August 30.