Brexit - the gift that keeps on giving…

For a while now I have been looking into shipping to the EU. Once you export goods you have to abide by the EU import laws, which can be quite finicky. However, in late summer news got out about the new General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) from the EU, which will come into force on 13th December 2024, and a few more months were needed to suss out what that would mean for a small business like mine.

It turns out that crockery and ornaments fall under these regulations. For example there are requirements for a product passport for traceability (for example for the glazes we’re using), the products need to have very specific labels and, probably the biggest hurdle, is that my business would require a Responsible Economic Operator (REO), which is an established business within NI or the EU, that would have to fulfil certain compliance tasks for me. It’s sort of a friend vouching for a friend if you will.

As you can imagine, finding an REO as well as the expense for their services (because nothing comes for free), is absolutely not viable for my small business.

With that in mind, I’m guessing that a lot of small UK businesses will be in the same place as me, facing the nigh impossibility to trade with the EU and the fact that consequently the UK market will be oversaturated. It’s not the news you want to hear at any time that your business might go under, thanks to Brexit.

We will take the time over Christmas and New Year to think about the future of our business. However, in the meantime, we wish all our esteemed customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

x Gabi